


All In

by Narutos Mother (momhuey)



Category: Naruto
Genre: Anbu Hyuuga Neji, Anorexia, Attempted suicide Naruto, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Genjutsu, Hokage Uzumaki Naruto, M/M, Manipulation of Memories, Sage Naruto, Sakura is the antagonist, Sakura...some people have called it 'bashing', Sasuke comes home, Uchiha Massacre, Written in 2010
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-28
Updated: 2015-03-15
Packaged: 2018-02-19 02:34:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 77,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2371310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/momhuey/pseuds/Narutos%20Mother
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This will actually become two stories. The first 14 chapters are a common beginning. After that, each story takes off in entirely different directions.  Why?  Good question.</p><p>The first story is called 'All In' and is approx 82K words. It is an MA rated Naruto x Sasuke drama.</p><p>The second story is called 'Constellations' and is closer to 100K words. It is an MA rated Naruto x Sasuke drama that contains a major character death.</p><p>I have posted both stories here with the intention of posting simultaneously. NOTE: THE FIRST 14 CHAPTERS OF BOTH STORIES ARE IDENTICAL.</p><p>Some readers have suggested different ways of presenting these two stories; I prefer this one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Common

"What do I do now?" the blond teen asked quietly.

His dark haired companion swiped at the tears streaming down his face smearing soot across his cheek. "Go home."

The tears were not from either grief or joy, or even the wounds bleeding freely about his body, but from the acrid black smoke coming from the pyre before him.

He watched dispassionately as flames consumed the body of Orochimaru, his former teacher. Because, it wasn't as a show of respect, or even a fond wish to aid his sensei's journey into the afterlife that the young man had assembled the structure and ignited it with a Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu; he was buying time. This wouldn't keep Kabuto off his tail for long, but he'd take what he could get.

Because Uchiha Sasuke was going home.

This morning, Orochimaru had come to his room and explained that the time had come for Sasuke to cough up his body. Word had arrived that Akatsuki had assigned the other Uchiha prodigy the task of retrieving Kyuubi no Kitsune, the last remaining tailed demon. He had explained that this altered their timetable slightly and then added, as though it would please the teen, that Kabuto was out getting Sasuke's favorite foods, which would comprise an intimate little celebratory dinner.

And Sasuke's last meal.

The full breadth of Orochimaru's intentions had been revealed and it seemed that his and Sasuke's understanding of their agreement were somewhat at odds. Evidently, the Sannin had his own plans for the vessel and his demon and so, while he and Orochimaru were in agreement that Itachi was to be killed, it seemed there was a hidden clause. Yes, Sasuke's body would kill Itachi, but it was, evidently, also going to kill Naruto.

The youngest Uchiha wasn't one to second-guess himself, and, though not superstitious, he generally paid heed to the signs around him. It was a fact that he'd never been able to silence the voice in his head that whispered, "Naruto." Now, that inner voice seemed to be in harmony with the outside voices screaming, "Kyuubi." He took this as the sign to act.

Naruto, for many, had somehow become the center of the universe. Even Uchiha’s didn’t argue with the universe.

His, admittedly, surprising objection to his own death played no small part in his spontaneous decision to revisit the terms of their contract and rip his sensei's tongue out through his liver.

The battle had not been epic. Sasuke had suffered many wounds, several, he was sure, were now contaminated with poison, but either he really had learned much in the last three years, or the snake wasn't as good as he'd presented himself. Perhaps both.

"You're going to him?"

Sasuke looked sideways at his companion, but said nothing.

"I'll...uhm...miss you." The smaller boy ducked his head and reached up to rub the back of his neck.

As always, the small action caused a surge of affection to well up in Sasuke and his lip twitched. He turned fully, his gaze softening.

"No, you won't."

"Yes, I will." A blush crept across his face. "Mostly."

"Toshio, you like girls."

"I liked you, too." He looked up, his blue-eyed gaze earnest.

"You liked _something_." Sasuke smirked. "Go home." He ruffled the silky blond hair. "Take an apprenticeship with a smith, or a butcher. When you’re older, find a nice girl and make some babies. Forget the last three years ever happened."

"Sasuke, I won't forget you. I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for you." He dropped his gaze, blushing at the admission.

Sasuke looked at Toshio. In the bright light of the morning sun, the similarities weren't as...familiar, stopping at the slender build, blond hair and blue eyes. At night, the features were close enough.

"You saved my life, too, Toshio." As always, the blond's blush charmed him and he relented, holding out his arms. The smaller teen threw himself into Sasuke's embrace.

Sasuke closed his eyes and nuzzled the top of the sunny blond head. "Be happy."

"What about your wounds," Toshio asked when he finally pulled away. "They look pretty bad."

"I'm fine. Here now, go find your mother and sister and take good care of them." He reached into his pack and pulled out a fist-sized bag that jangled quietly. "Keep an easterly heading, stay on the roads and don't talk to strangers. You should be home day after tomorrow."

Sasuke watched the slender boy's form get smaller in the distance, basking in the first rush of anticipation he'd felt in more than three years. Then he shouldered his pack, checked the location of the sun and started walking south.

He knew that if he wanted to see Naruto, he would have to go to him. Naruto had stopped coming after him in Sound a long time ago. Orochimaru, in his infinite wisdom, had put an astronomical price on the blond head, certain that, even if no one in Sound could actually capture the Jinchuuriki, the resulting ruckus would alert him and he could finish the job, naturally keeping the demon and the reward.

But for all his genius, Orochimaru didn't understand what motivated anyone but himself. Just as he didn't foresee Sasuke's own defection this very morning, he hadn’t imagined the bounty on Naruto would keep the boy from coming for Sasuke.

He was wrong and Sasuke had understood that fact the day he learned of his teacher's plan. Two years ago, he had actually felt the pain of grief as he looked at the stack of notices that would be placed around the village. He knew that Naruto's quest to retrieve him was over. He would never come to Sound again, and neither Orochimaru nor Kabuto ever understood why.

Naruto would know that if he stepped foot in Sound, every single person in the village, ninja and civilian alike, would be out to get the reward. He wouldn't concern himself over the ninja. The problem would be the civilians who didn't understand these things, and who would think they could take the blond with a few gardening tools and some rope.

Unless he was prepared to just hand himself over, Naruto would know that he might not be able to avoid hurting innocent farmers and shop keepers, perhaps desperate mothers and children.

Sasuke knew he wouldn't risk it and would stay away.

Still, he was honest enough with himself to admit that while he had an uncomfortable desire to rush to Konoha to protect Naruto from Akatsuki's campaign, the act was probably reckless. Naruto could call on the power of a demon; Sasuke would probably be an annoyance rather than a help.

But none of that mattered. He'd followed his heart his whole life, ignoring suggestions, advice, orders and even brute force. He wasn't inclined to stop now that his heart was pointed home.

____________________________________________________________________________

Three weeks of traveling and Sasuke was finally only two miles from Konoha.

He almost laughed at the irony that this was where the Leaf patrols would find his dead body. The fever from infected wounds, the toll of the slow acting poisons and Kabuto were conspiring to make this shade mottled glen his final stand.

He estimated that Kabuto was about fifteen minutes behind. Since his right leg was virtually useless and his chakra was nearly gone, he knew he'd never make it to the gates before having to confront the sinister medic.

Maybe he could somehow spend these last minutes leaving Naruto a message. He swayed on his feet and considered by what means he could tell Naruto…what? What did he want to say to his best, his only, friend here at the end?

The question ended up being moot, as he was forced to admit that he'd misjudged Kabuto's relative location. The snake's sidekick was standing fifty yards away. Evidently tired of the chase, Kabuto skipped any preliminary taunting or gloating and just charged forward. Sasuke closed his eyes and reached over his shoulder for his katana.

When he opened his eyes, ready for battle, he realized he couldn't see; Kabuto, and the rest of the forest in front of him, had disappeared behind…a set of shoulders?

His senses swamped his brain. That chakra, that laugh… _Naruto!_

"Kabuto, you old fuckface. I've been waiting a long time for this." He could tell that Naruto was grinning.

"Gladly, after I take care of Orochimaru's murderer." Kabuto looked pointedly over Naruto's shoulder.

"Well, now, that doesn't work for me." The broad shouldered teen tapped an imaginary watch on his wrist. "You know how it is; places to go, people to see..." He shrugged. "I can't reschedule."

Kabuto sighed. "Fine, have it your way." Then he charged forward.

The next few seconds were a blur for Sasuke as he found himself lifted and repositioned several feet away. When he regained his orientation, he realized that a Naruto clone had his arms wrapped around him and was keeping him away from the fight.

When he looked, Naruto was facing the opposite direction. A log impaled with a single shuriken lay behind him. He stood relaxed, holding eight kunai, four between the fingers of each hand, his grin taunting.

"Ooh, Wood Bunshin," Naruto mocked in an imitation of someone slow witted. "Where'd you learn such a neat trick?"

Then before the medic could even open his mouth to retort, the wind in the clearing kicked up. Sasuke watched as Kabuto, his arms flailing, came hurtling from his hiding place in the branches of a nearby tree. Naruto caught him with the kunai and swung the impaled shinobi to dangle within inches of his face.

"Hi." The smile on Naruto's face was terrifying.

"Bye." Sasuke watched tan shoulder muscles flex as the larger blond ripped his arms to each side, effectively shredding Kabuto's torso. The silver haired nin looked down at his own intestines, most of his body still hanging from the kunai in Naruto's left hand.

Naruto dropped the kunai from his other hand, made a fist and punched a hole through Kabuto's head. After dropping the whole mess, he made a disgusted face and swatted at the brain matter coating his fingers.

"Damn it. That was a new pair of gloves."

He then turned to Sasuke and dispelled the clone holding him.

"That may not…" Sasuke stumbled toward Kabuto's corpse, his katana dragging a furrow behind him. "He might still…" He didn't think Kabuto could recover from having his brain pulverized, but wasn't willing to risk it.

"I've got it." Naruto then looked to the sky and closed his eyes.

After a several moments, Sasuke heard a sound similar to when he called up Chidori; birds, lots of them. His eyes widened as hundreds of ravens descended into the clearing and immediately crowded around the warm body. The deathly pale teen dropped to his knees and retched as Kabuto's corpse disappeared, some immediately, some to be carried away, dangling out of bloody beaks and claws.

"Oh, sorry." Naruto was at Sasuke's side, wrapping his arm around his shoulders. "Hey, you're burning up. I thought I smelled infection. That's what brought me this direction to begin with."

It took almost all of Sasuke's remaining strength, but he looked over at the male whom he had nearly killed himself to come and see, the male who had just saved his life. He lifted a hand and almost made it to a whiskered cheek, before he pitched face first into a warm chest.


	2. Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At this point, 'All In' and 'Constellations' are still identical. If you've read one, you've read the other. That will change...promise!

"Sasuke, I need you to wake up for just one minute."

Sasuke struggled to fetch his brain from far away as the syllables of his name began to poke through the murk in his head.

"Sasuke, please wake up for just a minute. I don't want to take you to Konoha unless it's okay with you."

"Nar…?" he croaked.

"Oh, thank you gods." As his torso was squeezed, he realized he was semi-upright, held by strong arms against a warm, hard chest.

"Listen, I've done what I can, but I'm no medic." Sasuke felt thick fingers caressing his brow, carding through his hair. "I think the infections are gone, but I can't do anything with the poison. It's been about two hours and I don't want to wait any longer."

As he was squeezed again, he let himself sink into the warmth surrounding him. Another human hadn't held him protectively, gently in so many years. Since…since this very same blond had held him in Haku's mirrors. Lured by the warm safety of the here and now, he turned his head and nuzzled the broad pec against his cheek. He sighed tiredly as his head was cradled closer.

'Where are we?" His voice sounded like he was gargling gravel.

"A cave near Forest of Death. Konoha's closest; I can have you there in two minutes. If I asked him, Gaara would probably heal you and then let you leave, but it's pretty far to Suna.” He was hitched closer until he could feel Naruto’s cheek brush his. “Sas, I…I don't know if you'd make the trip, so unless you know of someplace with a doctor that I don't…,” he sighed shakily. “Look, if I promise to help you leave later, can I please take you to Konoha?”

Sasuke's sluggishly beating heart almost stopped. "You don't want me in Konoha?"

Naruto pulled back and gave Sasuke a horrified look, then he buried his head in Sasuke's neck and whispered, "Sasuke…don’t ever…"

"Take me home, Dobe," Sasuke said weakly. "To Konoha."

The shudders increased and he felt the warm slide of Naruto's tears down his neck.

Tsunade looked through the window into Sasuke's room. This morning Naruto was sitting in the chair by his bed. She had watched for the last forty-eight hours as Sakura or Naruto and occasionally both, sat waiting anxiously for their ex-teammate's recovery.

She had thought much about them since Naruto had shown up in her office holding Sasuke's nearly dead body two days ago. It was like looking back through time to her own Team 7. The personalities, histories, the roads they were on, were so much the same. It would be so easy for their ending to be the same. The thought sickened her. There was so much potential for so much more. The very future of Konoha, perhaps humanity, could reside in these three sets of calloused hands.

Like most ninja, they all had some dysfunction. Even Naruto, who on the surface seemed the most emotionally stable would be a challenge in the rebuilding of their old kinship. Not that they all didn't have the same capacity for love, but he was dealing with a complete unknown. He would fear that if he opened his heart to them completely, they would be the ones who could break him for good.

She had seen the same thing in Jiraiya. He was the most open of the three and when push had finally come to shove, he'd bolted, numbing his pain with distance and alcohol.

But as she considered the arrival of Sasuke back in Konoha and wondered at his motive, she thought maybe things could be different for this group of young people.

Perhaps Sasuke's life did not have to spiral deeper and deeper into a black pit of grief-induced madness and empty quests for meaning only to find death at the hands of a comrade.

Perhaps Naruto didn't have to leave home more and more often, rootless, wandering, running, and choosing missions over the emptiness of his apartment, only to die alone a thousand miles from the very few who would care.

And perhaps Sakura didn't have to end up alone, grieving for what might have been and living with regrets that she hadn’t done more to see her comrades, her dearest friends with happier endings.

She wondered if perhaps, she could help build, or rebuild bonds between the three young people.

Sasuke woke gradually. When his mind was clear enough, he cast his senses about and immediately felt Naruto's chakra. He opened his eyes, but when he looked he realized he was alone in a hospital room.

"Dobe?" His voice was a weak rasp.

The door to his room slid open slowly and Naruto stood just outside the threshold. Sasuke could feel his old teammate's anxiety but decided his own anxiety was worse. He was back in Konoha, alone and incapacitated. He envisioned himself as carrion in a clattering of jackdaws. He had preferred to come into Konoha in a stronger position on his own two feet, but instead he was on his back, vulnerable to the entire citizenry, ninja and civilian alike.

The only person he trusted, felt safe with was Naruto…the same Naruto who was hiding behind the door.

Sasuke waved his hand impatiently and Naruto took a couple steps into the room. He looked around and then picked up a glass of water.

"Is this was you want?"

Reaching the end of his first bout of consciousness, Sasuke shook his head in aggravation and waved his hand again. Naruto finally closed the distance to the bed and Sasuke grabbed his hand and pulled it to his chest.

"Stay." Then his head lolled and he fell back into unconsciousness.

The next time Sasuke woke, it was to a soft snoring. Naruto was asleep, his forehead pressed to the mattress while his hand still rested on Sasuke's chest. He must have sensed Sasuke rousing because he sat up.

He tried to pull his hand away, but Sasuke didn't let go. The two just looked at each other several long moments and Sasuke could almost smell Naruto's fear.

"You're afraid of me."

"I…" Naruto looked away. "Why did you come back?"

"For you." Naruto's expression closed off and he stood, pulling his hand free.

"Why are you running from me?" Sasuke asked, starting to feel tired again.

"Wait," Sasuke said when Naruto shuffled a few inches away.

"Don't leave. Don't keep running from me. Please. Stay while I sleep. Be here when I wake up."

When he fell asleep again, Naruto was still rooted to that same spot in the middle of his room.

The next day, after the poisons had been completely removed from his system and his wounds were almost healed, Sasuke woke once again feeling more human than he had in weeks.

Naruto was in his room again, but stood against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. Sasuke watched him glance over, take a deep breath and then come over to his bed. He was surprised when Naruto sat on the edge and leaned close.

"Tsunade will probably release you from the hospital tomorrow or the next day," he whispered, looking toward the door a couple of times.

Naruto rubbed his finger over a fold in the blanket, not looking at Sasuke. "Do you remember the cave?"

Sasuke thought a moment. "Some, I guess."

"Look, if you want me to get you out of Konoha, tell me now and I'll figure something out."

"What do you think will happen to me if I stay?"

Naruto's shoulders sagged. "I don't know."

"Do you care?"

"Sasuke," he gasped, his eyes wide. Then his face closed off again. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Sasuke pushed himself higher on his pillows. "I'm not leaving."

Naruto's face filled with anxiety.

"I'm not running away again." Sasuke held his hand still so that Naruto wouldn't realize that he was squeezing it between his larger ones. "Anyway, I have nowhere else to go. It's home or nothing."

'I won't let anything happen to you," Naruto repeated firmly. Then he cleared his throat and stood, moving back to his position against the wall.

It occurred to Sasuke that Naruto was standing guard. He instinctively knew that someone would have to kill Naruto to get to him.

He suddenly felt safer than he could ever remember feeling and was lightheaded with relief. In this little room he could sleep, could rest completely free from worries about enemies. He drifted toward asleep again, feeling an unfamiliar bubble of something in his chest. As his mind shut down, it came to him that this strange feeling might just be happiness.

Two ninja stood at the end of Sasuke's hospital bed while he was seated in a chair near the window, waiting for Sakura to finish his final examination. When she was finished Sakura pulled Sasuke’s sleeve back over his arm and nodded at the Hokage.

"Okay then,” Tsunade said while flipping through several sheets of paper on a clipboard. "Hyuuga, Naruto will be assigned to protect the Uchiha for the foreseeable future, but since Wave Country won't accept anyone but him for their mission, he won't be able to start until he gets back in two weeks. Until then, if you can spare one Anbu a night to guard him, I'll have Sakura stay with him during the day. She can watch out for him and see to the remainder of his recovery at the same time."

"Hokage-sama." The Anbu captain inclined his head. "Your phrasing indicates that you’re more concerned with defending him than defending the village from him. Certainly my men will be prepared for any contingency, but, if you are at liberty, it would be helpful if I understood the full parameters of the assignment."

"Uchiha Sasuke is a citizen of Konoha, not a prisoner," she said into the silence. "Since he was a Genin when he left and is still, technically, a Genin, he does not have a military obligation to Konoha and is not considered AWOL. Therefore, as with all of our citizens, his departure was always his decision to make and he is welcome to leave again, if he chooses. However, while I believe I understand his reasons for leaving, I will be very interested in the reason behind this sudden return.

"Uchiha, no one believes that you had any role in Sandaime's death, or in any part of the attack on Konoha." She was looking at Sasuke now. "You’ve committed no crime that I know of, although Ibiki will have many questions for you."

She folded the clipboard over her ample chest. "But there are those who would see it as a punishable offense to consort with the attacker, even after the fact. Fortunately for you there is nothing in our scrolls classifying bad judgment as a crime."

Sasuke couldn't help it. It burst out of his mouth with absolutely no permission from his brain. "What about the Valley of the End?"

She eyed him for several moments. The room was completely still except for Naruto, who was stalking a fly with two paper cups.

"If it was a crime for our Genin to try to beat each other to pulps, every last one would grow up in prison.

"Putting all of that aside, the Uchiha name isn’t what it once was." She watched the brunette for a reaction; there was none. "There are those who judge him on the actions of his brother, and will never accept an Uchiha back in Konoha. Of course, they have no say in the matter, but that will probably not stop them from trying to take it into their own hands."

Most of Team 7 was frozen like statues. Tears were sliding down Sakura's face and Sasuke was gripping the armrests of his chair until his knuckles were bloodless. Naruto was engrossed in a full color, three-page fold out ad for fertilizer.

"So, you," she said pointing at Sasuke, "will be released from here tomorrow, and will be escorted to my office, where we will talk. We’ll need to discuss the council's decisions, the Uchiha assets, reparations, and you would do well to start remembering everything you can about the last three years plus any intelligence, or even rumors, about Itachi's whereabouts. Also, we'll need to make some decisions about the cursed seal. I expect three days. Unfortunately, none of this is official until the Council says it is, so for the next three days and nights, you'll be staying in Konoha Prison."

Sasuke didn't even blink, but the outbreak from Sakura was instantaneous.

"Quiet!" Tsunade shouted.

"Huh?" Naruto looked up from 'Quilting for Fun and Profit.' Since he was facing the door, the honey-eyed blond was the only one who had seen all the blood drain from his face at the mention of prison. "Naruto, if you need to leave now, you can go and we'll…"

"Naw, that's okay, Grandma. I'm sorry. I'll pay attention." He grinned and Tsunade nodded, a gentle look on her face.

"As I was saying, after that time, you can move into permanent or semi-permanent accommodations. You’re welcome to return to the Uchiha district, or if you prefer, an apartment in town can be found. Neji, your men will begin rotations on the fourth night from tonight, Sakura, you will begin on the fourth day.

"Brat." She turned to Naruto, her face and voice softening. "You're off to Wave tomorrow. You can escort Sasuke to my office before you leave. Stay safe and see you in two weeks."

He nodded, and waltzed out the door, his grin unchanged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.


	3. Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So far Constellations and All In are the same. Chapter 3 in both stories are identical. At Chapter 15 they become completely different stories.

Sakura was so happy. Sasuke was back. Her heart was a lump in her throat and tears had been just below the surface from the moment she had sensed his chakra five days ago.

Kami, but he had grown so handsome. As Tsunade's protégé, she had been present for almost all of Sasuke's treatment. Even lying in a hospital bed, the grace and power that radiated off him made her womb flutter in an unfamiliar female reaction.

She absolutely could not believe her luck in being assigned as his daytime guard, even if it was for only ten days. Though Tsunade advised the pink haired medic that she was the best choice because of their history as teammates and because Sasuke was so recently out of the hospital, she just knew that the fates were trying to tell her something.

Certainly she had told Tsunade-shishou that she would guard Sasuke round the clock, but her teacher had declined reminding her that she had to sleep sometime. Unbidden images of sleeping next to Sasuke in his bed filled her mind.

But Sakura had a plan, or at least a general idea and two weeks in which to accomplish it. Her goal was to have Sasuke request that she remain as his guard even after Naruto's return. She thought that Tsunade was fond enough of her to agree to the change if she understood that Sakura's entire future happiness depended on the agreement.

So she thought hard about what kind of woman would appeal to the pale Adonis. Knowing what she did about his distant cousins, the Hyuugas, she thought maybe they preferred feminine, domestic females. Armed with this insight, she determined to make Sasuke's old house a home. She tried to show her sensitive side and chose the building that would contain the most memories, and then dragged over enough stuff to begin a small-scale restoration.

Sakura wasn't stupid, she knew that the house had bad memories, but she knew it also had good memories. She was sure that if she scoured away the age and created a mix of precious family items and new furnishings, she could create a new set of memories that would erase the old.

But that wasn't the entire plan. Sasuke was a man now, with basic male urges and needs. A steady stream of reminders of her femininity would surely wear at him like a glacier on granite.

With all of that in mind, she had carted over everything she would need to keep his home clean, cook all of his meals…and stimulate his libido.

Naruto was a nervous wreck, although very few people would've have known it from the casual image he portrayed slouched against the wall outside Konoha General, Room 309.

The last three days had been three of the worst in his life. While not fretting about Sasuke's recovery, he was a basket case trying not to think too much about his return.

What did the bastard mean when he said he'd come back for Naruto? Did he come back just to try to kill Naruto again? What if he only came here because he knew that this was probably Itachi's next destination? Naruto knew that if he wasn’t careful, and resolute, his heart was in serious danger of being destroyed once and for all.

He wiped the sweat off his palms once again, just as the door slid open and the brunette in question strode out, hands in his pockets. He walked right up to the blond and stopped just a shade inside his personal space.

"You're leaving soon?"

"Yeah, off to Wave. Gonna stay with Inari and Tazuna. Remember them?" His voice was loud, his grin wide.

Sasuke watched with interest as Naruto looked at everyone and everything but him. He wondered what the blond was thinking. Did he think Sasuke was here to kill him? To use him as bait? He gave in to an urge to reassure his old teammate.

"Naruto." He waited until Naruto finally looked at him and then he bowed. "You saved my life."

The blond was taken aback for only a second, and then smiled widely. "Naw, I'm sure you'd've been fine." He ducked his head then looked back up. "I gotta tell you, though; I'd been wantin' to take a run at that fucker for a long time." Sasuke nodded.

"So, wind element?" Sasuke tipped his head. "And what was with the ravens?"

"Oh, yeah, new training. The toads've taught me how to draw on nature." He shrugged and blushed.

"I can feel that your chakra is different, stronger." Sasuke took a step closer, reached up and pinched Naruto’s bicep. "You’ve come through puberty nicely."

Naruto's mouth opened and closed a couple of times. Then a bark of laughter escaped him and he punched Sasuke in the shoulder.

"Dickhead," he chuckled. "C'mon, let's go."

"So, Sakura's staying with you during the day? She's a Jounin now, ya know?" He waved his arm in a broad arc, his tone cheerful and bright. "Not sure why she didn't come today. She said something about having lots to do for this mission." He scratched his head. "Can't imagine what though since she's not leaving town and it's only the day shift."

"Maybe it's part of my punishment." Sasuke kicked a stone sullenly. "Is it too late to request being stretched on a rack or pressed under a wheel?"

Naruto guffawed loudly. "You grew a sense of humor, you bastard."

"You only think that because you think I'm joking." Naruto laughed again, slapping Sasuke on the shoulder.

The dark eyed teen examined his companion from the corner of his eye. Gods be damned, but Naruto looked good. While Toshio had reminded Sasuke of Naruto's adolescent years, this ripped, tan head-turner screamed testosterone. He'd gotten broader, thicker than Sasuke; his shoulders were wide and the hands and forearms hanging out of his sleeves were large and muscular. Tattoos of what appeared to be flames slithered up from his left wrist and disappeared under his shirt sleeve. With his shaggy hair hanging just passed his shoulders, he had a dangerous, rangy look that did funny things to Sasuke's stomach.

"So anyway, asshole, how's it hanging these days?"

Sasuke considered a number of responses but, satisfied with the mood the blond had established, settled on the standard, "To the left."

"Me too. Must be the weather."

"For Kami’s sake, you two haven't seen each other in three years and your first conversation is about your dicks?" Sakura's voice came from behind the two teens.

"Hey, Sakura-chan." Naruto scratched his cheek. “That’s vital information." He reached out and pulled a large piece of fuzz from her bangs. "And anyway, it's better than the last time. Something like 'Die mother fucker'?" Sasuke flinched.

"So, you all done now? Wanna walk with us? The bastard and I were just catching up." Naruto threw his arm over Sasuke's shoulder and Team Seven continued down the road together.

"Seriously you slippery prick," he started, steering them down the road. "You have to tell me what the fuck you've been up to." Before Sasuke could even open his mouth, Naruto continued. "Kabuto said you killed that greasy cock sucker. I don't think anyone in the whole fucking world will miss that son of a bitch."

"You've developed quite a...verbal repertoire," Sasuke said.

"Huh?"

"You cuss like a Hunter nin."

"Oh, yeah. Probably from spending so much time with them. Foul mouthed pieces of shit, aren't they Sakura-chan?" Before she could say a word, he continued, gesticulating broadly with his free arm.

"Toad Sage said the same thing to me. Just those words; 'Naruto, you cuss like a Hunter nin.' So I said to him, 'Fukusaku you.' Took me a week to recover from the beating he gave me. 'Course it wouldn't have taken that long if," his poked his stomach and yelled at his belly button, "A CERTAIN FURRY PARASITE HADN'T DECIDED TO BE A BITCH." He waved his arm wide. "Kyuubi decided not to help heal me. Said even he wasn't stupid enough to tell a sage to fuck off..."

Sasuke had wondered how this first coherent meeting with Naruto would go. He envisioned a lot of scenarios, all of them fraught with tension.

"…so I told the stupid furball to suck my left nut..."

But he should have known that Naruto would have none of that, pushing aside for later something that would be best dealt with over time. It wasn't a reunion with any depth, but Naruto was meeting him halfway.

"…let me tell you, Sas, be careful what you wish for. He sucked my left nut all right. Right up into my fucking pelvis…"

So as he walked along, Naruto's arm comfortably over his shoulder, he hid a smile and listened to the blond fill the spaces, and to some extent, the missing years with comfortable chatter.

"…had me screaming like a girl, no offense, Sakura-chan, for almost an hour."

And he was grateful.

Once Naruto, amidst much neck rubbing and foot shuffling, dropped him awkwardly at the door to the Hokage's office, Sasuke was immediately directed inside. Before the Godaime could raise her head in acknowledgement, Sasuke slid to his knees, inclining his head in a demonstration of submission.

"Uchiha Sasuke," the blond woman's strong voice carried to the kneeling ninja. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He arose slowly. "Hokage-sama, I wish to return home. I have news and information. And I wish to, once again, be of service to the home of my childhood, of my f…family." He was surprised to hear his voice falter.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow and studied the dark haired teenager. She stood, came around her desk and leaned back against the giant piece of furniture.

While he kept his eyes pointedly lowered, the buxom blond circled him, her eyes narrowed.

Sasuke was well familiar with Tsunade's status as one of the legendary Sannin and kept his body still as she strode to within a few feet of him. Although they were alone in the room, he was hyper aware of the intense focus of what must have been twenty ninja ranging from Chunin to Tsunade's renowned Niju Shotai and knew that if his Sharingan so much as flickered, he'd be dead before his body hit the carpet.

"So, you want to come home." She stopped in front of him. "Be advised that I am already aware of the events of three weeks ago." A flicker of sadness crossed her face and was gone.

Sasuke winced. "Yes ma'am." He bowed his head further. "I regret if my actions have caused you grief."

"Hmm." She eyed him speculatively. "Well, let's not stand here boring Konoha's finest. Come on, brat. We have lots to talk about." She grabbed his elbow and jerked him into a brisk stride across the room.

" _You_ have lots to talk about."

The next three days were taxing for Sasuke, but no more than he'd endured most of the last three years. His cell in Konoha prison, which comprised four walls, a bed and a commode, was no worse than his room at the lair in Sound. Even the constant barrage of staring, insults and threats was a common occurrence for Orochimaru's next body and was something he had learned to sort into harmless or harmful and then ignore as needed.

He'd been surprised by Tsunade. As she had been a comrade of Orochimaru, he hadn't expected her openness to listen, and believe, everything he had said in the many hours of interrogation. He had been sincere and honest in his answers, telling Tsunade and Ibiki Morino everything he could remember, from his first meeting with Orochimaru at the Chunin exams to the Sannin's death. He gave coordinates, names, and dates. He told them every strategic and mundane thing his Sharingan had helped him to retain.

Intuitively knowing that it was in his best interest if he hoped to regain his home and status, perhaps even keep his life, he had even reached deeper inside at the Hokage's counsel, and shared his reasons. It was not as difficult as he had imagined telling the honey-eyed woman that most of his motivations were based on his, admittedly, confusing feelings for Naruto.

"You know he is terrified that you're here to use him as bait to finally fulfill your vow to your clan." Her eyes narrowed. "If I hadn't assigned him the mission to guard you, he would have leapt at the next long term mission and we might not have ever seen him again."

"I won't let Itachi hurt him."

"Ha! As if." She studied her nails. "That's not what he's afraid of." She crossed her arms on the veneer and leaned forward. "Whether you're here to kill him, use him as bait or offer to have his babies, he's never going to be the same. We've trained him to be the best a ninja can be. He is independent and can kill with efficiency and detachment. For us he is solid as a mountain, as fearless as the demon inside him. For you, he's as fragile as bunshin.

"No one in this world has more power to hurt him than you do." She stretched her arms and cracked her knuckles. "And no one cares about him more than I do."

"I…" he whispered, his brows furrowed.”He's always been…" He hitched a shoulder. "He's the reason I'm here."

She merely smirked at him and said, "Welcome to the club."

"Tell me." Tsunade and Ibiki Morino sat across from each other in an interrogation room.

Ibiki flipped through several sheets of paper for a moment.

"He has no plans and no real goals. He's not a deliberate threat to Konoha security."

"Ok. Why is he here?"

"He's here for Naruto."

Tsunade nodded. Sasuke had already told her that. "Why?"

Ibiki ran his finger down a page. "He loves him."

Ibiki looked up as the room became quiet. He added, his face revealing nothing, "Romantically."

She blinked. "They haven't seen each other in years." She glanced at him sharply. "Have they?"

"No, not directly, but there have been factors that have kept Naruto at the forefront of Sasuke's consciousness."

"Such as?"

"Shortly after Sasuke arrived in Sound, Orochimaru gave him his own personal servant. Sasuke thinks Orochimaru did it to keep him off balance, maybe sharpen his anger and hatred.

"But this servant," Ibiki said squinting at the page before him, "Toshio, had the opposite effect on Sasuke."

"He explained that," Ibiki continued as though reciting, "every time he looked at the boy's blond hair and blue eyes, his anger cooled a little more. Every time the two were together, he was reminded of things he'd left behind, things that he considered good, friendship, acceptance, loyalty." He looked back at Tsunade. "Things that Naruto gave him.

"Even though he'd never been outside of Sound, the servant became an anchor to Konoha and to Naruto."

Tsunade was rubbing her forehead in agitation.

"Without that blond hair and blue eyes in his life every day," Ibiki cleared his throat, then added, "and night, he probably would have let Orochimaru have his body at the end of the three years."

"Did Sasuke love him?"

Ibiki looked thoughtful. "In a way."

"Where is Toshio now?"

"Sasuke sent him home."

"This is dangerous," she said, rubbing her forehead again. "More dangerous than if he'd come here leading an army."

"Yes, that's what I meant by deliberate," Ibiki agreed. "It's certain that Naruto's emotional health and Konoha's security are intricately linked."

"Alright," Tsunade sighed, made several notes on a scroll and then looked once again at Konoha’s inquisitor, "what about Sasuke's quest for revenge?"

"It's over."

"Really?" Tsunade raised her brow. "But Itachi's still alive."

"Sasuke's matured," Ibiki said. "His need for revenge transformed into a need for justice." She looked at him impassively and he asked, "Do you see the difference?"

"Explain it to me."

"Revenge is one sided. It was all about Sasuke's pain and anger; his needs." Ibiki smoothed the pages in front of him. "Justice is multi-sided; it encompasses the victims and the perpetrators.

"When he realized that, he started to have doubts. He began asking himself, 'why.' Sasuke realized he'd convicted and set himself up as executioner for his brother, without having given him a trial."

"Really? That is very mature."

"He's had a hard life," Ibiki said and added, uncharacteristically, "It can make a boy grow up quickly."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story


	4. Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At this point, 'All In' and 'Constellations' are still identical. If you've read one, you've read the other. That will change...promise!

When all was said and done, Sasuke wondered if the council wasn’t still more enamored of the Uchiha name than the Godaime had indicated. He felt the consequences for his actions were light.

He was confined to the Konoha for six months and was to begin making amends to the citizenry by performing D-ranked missions. Tsunade had added her own twist by insisting that the mission fees be donated to Naruto's favorite charity; the orphanage. Thankfully this was no hardship as his family's considerable resources, including those of every aunt, uncle, cousin and grandparent, were untouched and waiting for him.

He was allowed to train and was even permitted to test for Chunin, Jounin and then Anbu when he thought he was ready. If he wanted it, a job was waiting for him at the end of the confinement.

It seemed to him the hardest part of his penalty was the upcoming days in Sakura's custody.

++

Sakura dusted her hands off and looked around at her handy work.

Sasuke was due to be dropped off in just a few hours and the rooms of his house were spotless. There was not a smudge or piece of dust anywhere and the floors gleamed. A meal was cooking in the kitchen and the main rooms smelled heavenly. Several of the surfaces had artistically haphazard displays of Sakura's hairbrush, bottles of lotion, a small handbag, and a dainty pair of fingerless gloves.

She worried that she wasn't discreet enough in the bedroom and bath. Yes, they smelled like the fragrance she always wore, and her clothes were folded in neat piles in both rooms, but she fretted over leaving some of her lacier things on the tops of the piles. Better to weave a subtle web with gossamer threads then throw a net.

Sasuke was smart and he would bolt if he smelled a trap.

++

Sasuke smelled a trap before he passed the dilapidated gate of the Uchiha district. He saw the lights on in his old house as he entered the compound and already he could smell a myriad of odors; food, perfume, cleaning chemicals.

He ground his teeth when he heard one of the Anbu escorts snickering.

The scroll he had from the Hokage and the council explained that he was free to return to one of the buildings within the Uchiha boundaries, or, if he chose, an apartment away from the peeling paint, overgrown vegetation and bloodstained walls of the abandoned neighborhood. He was still undecided about that, the unease skittering down his spine at odds with the need to explore his roots.

Now, after arriving at the compound, he'd been supremely annoyed to find that Sakura had taken it upon herself to choose for him. His family's home? Of all his options for living quarters, his own home had less appeal than a box in an alley. As he stepped across the threshold into the main living area, he imagined he could still smell the blood of his parents.

Finding his cool center, he reminded himself that he only had to accommodate Sakura for less than two weeks. If he could live with Sound ninja for three years, he could live with the pink haired Jounin for ten days.

Anyway, he could use the time to sort through his resources, and his emotions, and determine the location that would suit him best. Then he could settle in and bid Sakura farewell in one decisive move.

His resolve firming, he removed his shoes. He could do this. After all, it would be two weeks of clean quarters, good food and hot running water. And he could just explain the situation to his old teammate. She was an adult now and would accept how things were.

"Sakura, I'm here."

++

The days with Sakura turned out to be more stressful than Sasuke had anticipated. She was always there, insisting on pitching in as Sasuke sorted through the other buildings and the surrounding gardens.

He would have preferred privacy while he dealt with the emotions bombarding him as he reacquainted himself with the streets and buildings of his childhood home. He didn't want to share his turmoil and grief as mundane household items triggered bittersweet memories, or as ghostly images and sounds filled his mind as he turned down one lane after another. But when he broached the subject she would just squeeze his arm and argue that, since she had to be there anyway, she might as well be useful.

They ate every meal together and after the first couple of hours she began filling the silence with a steady stream of something Sasuke couldn't identify because he was ignoring it.

Occasionally after she left for the day, he imagined he still felt her presence as he showered and readied himself for bed, but since she had become so much stronger, and because he knew that the premises were filled with her belongings, he chalked it up to chakra residue. He almost believed it.

The most alarming thing was the sheer quantity of Sakura's things that were now in his house. Since her logic was mostly sound, he bit his tongue at the piles of her clothing; the need for spare clothes was not totally unforeseen. The kitchen tools and bag of books, as well, seemed, on the surface, harmless enough. The basket of her sleepwear however had him waffling between blunt explanations of their status and the desire to toss the things right out the front door into the road.

Instead he would just look at her several times a day and ask, "Sakura, you know we're friends, right?"

The soulful looks she would give him when she nodded made him question whether she was getting the message.

But he hesitated to push harder. Acutely aware of his standing in the community, and Sakura's standing as the Hokage's protégé, he said nothing more, opting to just subtly deal with her frequent excursions into his personal space for the few days remaining.

While she kept her distance for his community service missions, after the first couple of days, she took to scheduling his free time. Since it hadn't been forbidden, she used an inspired bit of insight and suggested sparring. It left both of them frustrated. She couldn't begin to compete with him and he bored quickly. The encounters digressed into nothing more than attempts by her to put her hands on him and he would stalk out of the training grounds leaving her to follow.

Her next effort revolved around socializing. Sasuke needed to make friends again, she advised, as if she thought he had ever made friends before. He found himself sitting at one gathering after another, suffering through gossip and an increasing encroachment by the konoichi into his bodily territory. It had become a full time job removing her hand from one body part or another.

Not that he would have chosen to stop these trips out into the public, though. This was much better than the sparring because, in spite of the nuisance Sakura was, invariably the conversations would gravitate to the one topic about which he yearned to hear; Naruto. If he really was, at heart, antisocial and hated these gatherings, he wouldn't give up the access to information on the blond.

So he went along with Sakura to one tea after another, spending his time daydreaming about real training until three syllables would catch his attention.

Through his eavesdropping, Sasuke learned astonishing things about the blond. Son of the Yondaime? Kami! Now that it was pointed out to him, the resemblance between his friend and the photo he recalled from Kakashi's living room was clear. But the Yellow Flash? Naruto's pedigree was more impressive than his own.

From other bits of conversation, Sasuke figured out that, after his lineage was finally made public, Tsunade had seen to it that Naruto received any inheritance due him. It turned out to be substantial. Naruto's assets rivaled his own.

He learned that Naruto had lost his teacher, Jiraiya, another Sannin and comrade of Orochimaru, to Akatsuki and had just finished training with someone named Fukusaku. His jaw dropped open when he learned that Fukusaku was master of the sage arts. How far had Naruto come? Was Naruto actually a Sage now?

"Naruto kicked your butt so bad, you wished you were born buttless." Kiba slapped the tabletop and threw his head back in gales of laughter at his own joke.

If one looked carefully, a slight narrowing of eyes was Neji's only response.

'C'mon, admit it. It's not like he hasn't creamed all of us." He leaned forward and grinned. "Hell, he handed me, Shino and Hinata all our asses at once during the festival games this past spring, and he never even took his hands out of his pockets."

He shook his head. "God damned sage training. Who the hell ever thought chakra could be solid?'

"His chakra wasn't solid," Neji replied in his quiet voice. "That was merely the heated air created by his chakra, combined with water vapor and the cooler air of…"

"Pft. Whatever, ice prick," Kiba interrupted waving his hand negligently. "All I know is that with him around, nobody is ever gonna take Konoha. What a weapon," he finished with a wistful tone.

Neji's response was to turn away from Kiba's side of the table in dismissal. When he did so, he came face to face with Sasuke and his avid look.

"Something of interest to you, Uchiha?"

Sasuke slipped a bored expression on his face. "What is this about Naruto? Last time I saw him, he was on his back, unconscious in the dirt."

"I shudder to consider the circumstances that would end with that result now; something along the lines of the end of the world." The eldest Hyuuga cousin tilted his head. "You would certainly never be the cause of such a state of affairs again."

"I suppose when one has access to the power of a tailed demon..." Sasuke began.

"Don't deceive yourself into believing that," Neji interrupted. "Naruto has spent years learning to suppress and control the Kyuubi. Konoha, especially the council, fears and loathes Naruto's tenant. His freedom and, perhaps, his very life, would be forfeit if there was the smallest sign that beast holds sway."

"If that's true..."

"Your youthful rivalry, or perhaps your preoccupation with other matters, has left your memories incomplete," Neji interrupted again. "At the age of twelve, Naruto was undefeated in the Chunin exams before they were...interrupted." He raised a brow. "And although you were draped, nearly unconscious, over a tree branch at the time, perhaps you remember the battle with Gaara and his demon? There was no Kyuubi assistance there; it was purely Naruto."

"I beat him at the Valley of the End..." It was almost a question.

They were interrupted by Sakura who bounced into the seat next to him.

"What are you all talking so serious about?" She turned and rested her head on Sasuke's shoulder, ignoring or unaware of the tensing of his entire body. "I'm so happy to see you making friends again, Sasuke-kun."

Both dark haired shinobi declined to correct her misinterpretation of the situation. Instead, Neji responded, "I was apprising Sasuke on Naruto's training."

Sakura's whole demeanor changed and a look of distaste crossed her face.

"Idiot. He needs all the training he can get." Sakura flipped her hair back and huffed. "Anyway, all the training in the world won't make him any less of a loser."

"Sakura, I don't understand why you continue to deny that Naruto is a talented ninja."

"Talented? Pft. You mean lucky," Sakura said. "Yeah, yeah, I know. He fucked you over at the Chunin exams. I suppose it soothes that gigantic Hyuuga ego to make him out to be more than he really is.

"Either way," She smiled adoringly and patted Sasuke's thigh. "Sasuke here kicked his ass."

Sakura leaned toward Sasuke, adding with relish, "You should have seen the pathetic, half-dead pile of steaming flesh Kakashi-sensei brought back after you got done with him."

Sasuke paled, but said nothing.

"Certainly I was not there; however, I suspect that it is not so difficult to defeat an opponent who is unwilling to harm you," Neji interjected.

Sakura turned to Sasuke, rested her chin in her hand. She didn't even seem to be seeing him as she started conversationally, "You see, Neji-chan here is a faggot," she said sweetly. “And he thinks it’s his fate," she cooed again, "to have Naruto's DICK up his ASS." Her eyes were blazing by the end of her sentence.

Sasuke just stared at her, no expression on his face. Then, as if in synch, his and Neji's heads whipped toward the door.

"Naruto's back."

They both stood abruptly, Sasuke's chair scraping loudly in his haste. Two sets of eyes, one dark, one light, narrowed in speculation of each other. Then Neji did a rare thing; he smiled.

Before Sasuke could process the change in mood, Neji leapt toward the ceiling. Just where he had been standing, Naruto's body materialized through the flooring.

"Damn it. You felt me coming." The blond laughed and looked around. A split second later, a pale pair of hands slid around his face from behind and covered his eyes. Then another Naruto appeared behind the Hyuuga, the first popping out of existence. Neji found himself in a chakra-reinforced headlock.

"And you. I can't tell your clones from you anymore, even with Byakugan," Neji said, smiling.

The two wrestled and tossed each other for another minute, before the storeowner came over waving a broom. "Get out. You break anything in here and you're gonna pay."

Sasuke moved his chair the rest of the way out of his path with a slam and started across the room, irrationally upset over what was obviously a long standing ritual between Naruto and Neji.

"Let's go." He pointed at Sakura. "Time for you to pack."

"Sasuke-kun!' she shouted scrambling to her feet. "Wait. I thought that maybe…"

He walked out the door.

++

"Honey, I'm home." Naruto's voice reached the interior of the house before he did.

Just as he stepped into the entry a flurry of shuriken and kunai came at him. Both of his arms moved almost faster than Sasuke could see. When he stopped, his forearms and one bicep were impaled with two dozen weapons.

"Sakura-chaaaan," Naruto whined.

"Go away," she hissed. "Why do you have to be here?"

"Number one, grandma sent me here to relieve you." His arms drooped slightly under the weight of all the metal sticking out of them.

"B," he continued, "What the fuck? You're gonna put holes in Sasuke's walls." He dropped a hand quickly to catch a drop of blood.

"And three." His arms finally fell to swing at his sides. "OUCH!"

While Sasuke was rooted to the spot in shock, Sakura shrieked.

"You moron, you're going to get blood on Sasuke-kun's floor." She slid to the spot on her knees and started swiping at the droplets with the hem of her skirt. She cast a venomous look up at Naruto and then punched him in the leg.

"Fuck!" The hit sent him back out the door beyond the edge of the porch and onto the gravel walk.

Sasuke finally found the will to move and, in a flash, was outside with the blond who was laying flat on his back.

"Fuck, she's worse than an S-class mission." He started to sit up.

"Don't move," Sasuke murmured, picking up one arm and gently started working one of the weapons free.

"Naw, don't worry about that." Naruto swatted Sasuke's hand away and jerked all the weapons out with several negligent swipes. "These'll be fine in a bit."

He sat up and looked at his leg. "I think she broke my femur, though. That's gonna take longer."

"What!?" Sasuke stared at him. "She broke your leg? What the hell is her problem?"

Naruto ducked his head, his grin slipping. "Well, she's been pretty mad at me for a long time." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Though I had thought we might be fixed now."

"Why is she angry with you?"

"Uhm...well, because I never brought you back." He didn't see the dark look on Sasuke's face. "The fact that she has to leave here probably has her panties in a knot. Probably had visions of naked Sasuke-kuns dancing in her head."

He looked up quickly, an idea occurring to him. "Ya know, if you want, I could probably talk to the old hag and get it switched back. Far be it from me to deprive a guy of a..."

He didn't get to finish as Sasuke grabbed his collar roughly, cutting off his air. "I swear to Kami if you take one step toward the Hokage tower, I'll break your other leg."

Naruto laughed. "Okay, your funeral. Although I don't suppose there's anything you can do to piss her off. She blames me for bad weather and crop failures."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.


	5. Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obligatory WAFF alert! For good or ill, there aren't too many chapters like this.
> 
> At this point, 'All In' and 'Constellations' are still identical. If you've read one, you've read the other. That will change at Chapter 15...promise!

One thing Sasuke could say about Naruto; he was certainly taking his guard duty seriously. He'd only seen the blond a handful of minutes in the last week; he didn't know if Naruto even ate or slept. The younger shinobi just seemed to prowl the compound continuously. A fucking June bug couldn't come into the district without Naruto being right on its ass.

Finally he'd had enough and tracked down his over achieving sentinel.

"I brought you some water."

"Thanks."

"Why don't you take a break and eat some of the lunch I'm cooking."

"Oh, okay, just set it…"

"No, I mean..." Sasuke's face flushed. "Eat lunch with me." Naruto said nothing.

"We haven't talked since I got back."

"About what?"

"Nothing, everything," Sasuke's said, exasperated. "What you've been up to, what I've been up to."

"But the guard duty…"

"You do know that I don't need to be guarded, right? Certainly not with the diligence you're giving it." Naruto rubbed his neck. "I can protect myself, and I'm not leaving. I've come home."

Naruto had yet to look at him. Sasuke reached out and grasped his elbow. "Come eat with me."

Naruto finally relented, but sat stiff and poked at the rice and fish before him. Determined that this would be a beginning though, Sasuke spoke; nothing deep, just missions and training, his plans for the property.

When Naruto finally got up, Sasuke said, "So, breakfast tomorrow?" After a moment, Naruto nodded and left.

By the end of the week, the two were sharing every meal. Twice Naruto had even come into the house early to do the cooking. And Naruto had relaxed considerably and was actually talking as well.

The talk was still missions and training and Naruto made his last three years sound like a series of comic misadventures, but Sasuke had also lived that life, and knew the stories for what they were; a shiny shellac over years of blood, sweat, tears, and loneliness.

By the end of the next week, Sasuke had taken to touching his friend. It was all innocuous enough, small brushes covered by the straightening of a collar or the doing of a button. He'd pulled enough imaginary lint off the blond to stuff an imaginary pillow. Before long, Naruto took to standing still as if waiting for Sasuke to fix him up before he took off.

But Sasuke still sensed a gulf between him and the blond and damned if he didn't want it gone. He wanted Naruto's trust. He wanted his affection, his attention. He wanted his friend back.

Sasuke thought he was going down the right path, though, in reestablishing their bond, using time and undemanding companionship as chisels beyond Naruto's defenses.

With this in mind he decided his next maneuver would be to ask Naruto to help him with the Uchiha property. It would show Naruto that Sasuke valued his help and trusted him with something as personal as his history. And it would perhaps give the blond a sense of ownership in Sasuke's life.

++

It was certainly handy having access to a veritable army of Narutos. Not that Sasuke was in any kind of hurry to get work done on the property, but when it came to manual labor, Naruto clones made excellent pack animals.

Currently he had about ten Narutos emptying his mother's sister's house, readying it for an assessment of sorts. She had several children and her house had the largest accumulation of possessions. He estimated that Naruto would have it empty by the time he made a rough sketch of the building.

He was pacing off the front porch when Naruto walked up with a box.

"Hey, I'm not trying to be nosy, but...what's this stuff?"

Sasuke peered over the edge and raised a brow. "Toys?"

"Toys," Naruto repeated as though testing out the word for the very first time.

"Yeah, toys." Naruto picked up a koma and smacked it against his palm.

Sasuke watched him whack the top against his palm several more times and added, "You play with them."

"Play with them," Naruto parroted again, now swinging the top back and forth like a club.

Sasuke took the wooden koma from Naruto and spun it on the porch floor.

Naruto's eyes widened and he looked back and forth between Sasuke and the toy several times.

"You don't know what toys are?"

Naruto's face started to close off and Sasuke mentally slapped himself. He bent to his knees.

"Here, let's play." Naruto seemed to let it go and stooped down next to the box. He reached in and pulled out a handful of marbles.

Sasuke said, "Ohajiki," then watched in fascination as they lifted in Naruto's palm and swirled around each other. After several seconds he shook his head and pressed them into Naruto's hand.

"No chakra. These are civilian toys. You don't use chakra."

Naruto's eyes widened again and his whole body bounced up and down. "Show me? Please?"

The pair spent the next two hours emptying the box, playing with one toy after another. Sasuke showed Naruto how the ball and spindle of the kendama were used together. Then he pulled out a simple piece of string, 'ayatori,' he said, and then amazed Naruto by creating a complicated web using nothing but his fingers.

Naruto growled in mock affront as Sasuke balanced himself on the takeuma and walked around gracefully while he'd fallen off the stilts onto his ass a half dozen times.

Naruto was like a small child at Christmas. He quivered with excitement until finally he flopped over onto his back during Sasuke's explanation of the kokeshi dolls and fell asleep from over stimulation.

Sasuke crawled over the toys and studied his Naruto's peaceful face. He pulled his friend into his arms and Naruto snuggled into his embrace. A new feeling was filling him.

As he held the sun warmed body to his chest, he imagined this feeling was what his father must have felt about his family. He felt a ferocious need to protect, to rearrange the universe to accommodate his precious ones, removing all obstacles, obtaining every luxury and advantage.

He felt frustration that he couldn't go back and fix the wrongs of Naruto's childhood, but made a silent promise that nothing would ever hurt the blond as long as he lived. As he held Naruto's head to his shoulder, he vowed that Naruto would never go wanting for anything again.

++

A few days later, Sasuke watched Naruto demolish the old greenhouse. It was a hazard and the blond was able to bring it down with a few movements of earth while keeping the debris contained in a tight ball of compressed air. Then Sasuke could incinerate the small pile with ease.

As he watched the concentration on the whiskered face and felt the waves of residual power caress his senses, he found himself half hard. His fingers yearned to test the firmness of the sweaty flesh on those amazingly ripped arms and shoulders. His mouth watered with a burning desire to press his teeth into the muscles flexing under that tan skin, to see where those intriguing black flames up his arm ended.

The aura that radiated off Naruto was so compelling. His whole being spoke of lands explored and tests passed. The image he portrayed was quiet confidence and complete comfort in his own skin. Sasuke was surprised to find himself daydreaming about curling up at Naruto's feet.

There was no denying it. He wanted Naruto badly, images of throwing and being thrown onto the nearest flat surface giving him a physical ache.

When Naruto stopped and poured a ladleful of water over his head and Sasuke was forced to watch the drops slide down his neck, and then disappear into the top of his shirt, the only thing keeping him from going to the blond was the conviction that Naruto would reject him.

Just then Naruto looked at the sun and came over to where he was sitting.

"Hey, bastard, I have some things to take care of today." He pushed his hair back, squeezing the water down the back of his neck. "I'll get Neji to take over for a while."

Sasuke blinked. Naruto had things to do? Well, of course he did. Sasuke suddenly realized he'd been so busy trying to involve Naruto in his life, that he'd never considered trying to involve himself in Naruto's life.

"Can I come with you?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "Uhm, sure. That would be great." He smiled. "Actually, I'd like it a lot."

Sasuke nodded. "You take a shower first, I'll finish up here."

After a leisurely walk across town, Naruto pushed open a gate that led to the front of a sprawling old house. Sasuke remembered this house from his childhood; it had been dismal and dilapidated and used to give him nightmares. The creepy old eyesore was now impeccably maintained, with fresh paint and well tended, brightly colored flower gardens dotting the scrupulously manicured lawn.

"The orphanage?" Sasuke could tell that Naruto was ready to hop up and down with excitement. "It looks so different."

"Yeah, a lot better than when I lived here."

Sasuke stopped dead. "You lived here?"

"Well, sure. For a while." Naruto laughed. "Where do you think babies without families live?"

Sasuke was speechless. He'd never really thought about where Naruto had lived. When they were kids, he's just assumed that Naruto did what every other kid did when the day was over; went home.

"How long?"

"I ran away when I was six. Of course it didn't have the Twinkle Sisters then." He rubbed his neck. "The old caretakers didn't care for the demon kid much."

"Twinkle Sisters? Six?" Sasuke shook his head against all the questions crowding his brain. "What did you do then? Where did you go?"

"I don't remember," Naruto hedged. "Forget it." He grabbed Sasuke's arm and pulled him toward the house. "Daylight's wasting."

Before they made it to the house, the front door opened and a very large, very noisy crowd of people rushed out.

Right in front of Sasuke's eyes, Naruto was mobbed by several hundred, well, maybe six, screeching children.

The blond turned to Sasuke, his arms held out parallel to the ground, three children hanging off each, their legs swinging and high pitched squeals of excitement piercing the air.

"Hey, Sasuke, there are supposed to be children here. Have you seen any children? I only see monkeys." He turned his head back and forth, squinting at the toddlers hanging from his forearms.

The squealing and giggling increased tenfold and before Sasuke could even begin to make sense of the scene before him, he felt something tug on his hand.

He looked down and found a very tiny dark haired girl holding his hand with one of hers while she hugged a stuffed…something and sucked her thumb with the other.

She tugged firmly and he looked at her face. She looked at him calmly and then yanked on his hand even harder until he figured out that she wanted him to stoop. He squatted and no sooner had he made it to her level, she climbed onto his hip, wrapped her arm around his neck and dropped her head onto his shoulder.

Bemused, he sat there several seconds amidst the din, no idea what to make of this turn in his day. As Naruto was now a howling mess buried under a mountain of flailing arms and legs, he sighed, wrapped his arm around his newest appendage and stood.

"They'll settle in a minute," a feminine voice said from his right.

His first thought when he saw the middle aged woman with sparkling eyes and radiant smile was that this must be a twinkle sister. She reached out and stroked the hair of the girl in Sasuke's arm.

"Friendly children," he muttered.

"She can't seem to get enough human interaction," she said. "I'll take her if you'd like."

He started to turn in her direction, but the tiny girl tightened her arm around his neck and made a noise of disapproval. "I'll just hold her a minute," he smirked.

Naruto was panting and hiccupping as he pulled himself to his feet, tykes still pulling on his legs. He came up to Sasuke and put his hand on the little girl's back.

"I see you've met our little coat of paint. You'll need a scraper to get her off before we leave."

He leaned in and kissed her brow and then blew raspberries on her cheek, making her giggle and squirm. "How's our beautiful baby girl? Mm, I missed you."

She giggled some more and clutched his hair with a wet hand while burying her face in Sasuke's neck.

Finally Naruto stood before the older woman and bowed. She bowed in return and then laughed, slapped him in the arm and pulled him into a hug. He picked her up off her feet and swung her in a circle.

"Stop it," she laughed. "Put me down. You know I'm too old for such nonsense."

He gave her one more squeeze, a look of pure happiness on his face, then set her on her feet without releasing her hands.

"How are things here? The plumbing? Is it warm enough? The grocers treating you fairly?"

"Of course." She pulled a hand away and patted his cheek. "Neji-san does an excellent job of taking care of everything while you're gone."

He leaned in, his smile softening. "Where is he?"

"Over there, I expect." She pointed toward the corner of the house. Sasuke, whose little passenger was now snoring wetly against his neck, turned in the direction she indicated.

There, almost obscured by a bush, was a boy, older than the rest of the children, probably nine or ten years old. His posture was instantly recognizable to Sasuke. The boy was turned slightly away, his arms crossed defensively over his chest. The look on his face was impassive and only because he was looking for it, did he see the tiny furtive glances in Naruto's direction. Sasuke waited to see how Naruto would react.

Naruto's smile widened and he strode purposefully toward the boy. Sasuke's brow rose when Naruto stopped in front of the youth and bowed.

"My worthy rival, it's an honor to see you again." The boy turned with studied nonchalance and gave a slight bow as well.

"You've been gone a long time," he said.

Naruto nodded. "Yes, I have. Did you get my letters?"

The boy nodded and Sasuke watched with interest as the veneer was peeled away.

He swiped his forearm across his nose. "Neji-san said you were doing important work."

Naruto nodded again. "We're all a team. I go outside the gates and do my work. He works inside the gates. Do you remember why?"

His thin shoulders scrunched and his face flushed. "You love us? Me?"

Naruto's smile could light a room. "Yes."

The boy's jaw worked for several moments and then he crossed his arms again, having mastered his emotions. "Who is he?" He pointed to Sasuke.

"Jomei-san, this is Uchiha Sasuke. Sasuke this is Jomei."

The boy did an admirable Uchiha impression and Sasuke marveled at how someone two feet shorter than he was could look down his nose at him.

"Do you have time for a game?" Naruto asked Jomei.

"Have you been practicing?" Jomei responded.

"Well," Naruto blushed, "sort of. Sasuke and I have played a few games."

"Are you talking about shoji?' Sasuke asked.

"Yeah," they both responded.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Naruto is a man of many talents. Shoji is not one of them." As Naruto straightened and put his hands on his hips in mock offense, Sasuke continued. "May I play?"

"Don't do it, Sasuke," Naruto said. "He's really good."

"You're just really bad," Jomei said. "Even Mei beat you last time."

They all looked at the six year old girl who had just rolled onto her side, trying to bite her toenails.

"She's trickier than she looks," Naruto muttered, pouting.

During the game, Jomei said to Sasuke, "I've heard of you. You're the boy who ran away like a baby after your family died."

Naruto gasped. "Jomei..."

"I was foolish," Sasuke interrupted. "I was not as wise or courageous as you when I was your age." He bowed his head. "I'm working to be a better man."

"Jomei," Naruto said. "Sasuke didn't have Twinkle sisters."

"Hn," the boy said.

Just before they left, Naruto pulled one of the sisters aside.

"Do the kids have toys?" He looked at Sasuke as if confirming that was the right word. "Civilian toys?"

She patted his cheek. "Of course. Occasionally, villagers will make donations of toys their children have outgrown. And a couple of years ago, Neji-san and Hinata-chan cleaned out their rooms and brought over boxes of things. They have plenty."

Sasuke watched as Naruto scooped her into a hug, more, he suspected, to keep her from seeing that he was struggling not to cry.

Later Sasuke and Naruto were walking home. Sasuke was unusually quiet.

"Hey, bastard," Naruto said. "You mad at me for dragging you along? Did Jomei upset you?"

"No," Sasuke answered. Then he turned and pulled Naruto into his arms. After a moment, he pulled back and kissed him on the cheek.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked quietly when Sasuke rested their foreheads together.

"I thought my life was better because you're in it." He laced their fingers together and pulled back slightly. "It seems that the world is better because you're in it."

"Sasuke, what's this all about?"

"I was sitting there playing shoji with Jomei and I thought, 'these kids are so lucky to have a Naruto.' Then I thought, 'if only I'd had a Naruto...'" Sasuke squeezed their palms together and bowed his head. "Then I realized that I did have a Naruto." He leaned their foreheads together again. "I just didn't appreciate it. That won't happen again."

Then he turned them back toward home, and didn't call attention to the fact that they were still holding hands and Naruto was allowing it.


	6. Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At this point, 'All In' and 'Constellations' are still identical. If you've read one, you've read the other. That will change at Chapter 15...promise!

One evening an opportunity to change the status quo arose. Sasuke recognized it and took it. He'd just sat on the end of the couch and set his tea on the end table, when Naruto wandered into the living room, towel drying his hair.

"Whatcha doing?"

"I'm going to read for a while." Sasuke held up his book so the other could read the cover.

"Is it good?"

"I've heard that it is, but I haven't started it yet." Sasuke looked speculatively at the other teen. "Sit down and I'll read it aloud."

Naruto hesitated, casting several looks at the door, but finally said, "Okay," and dropped into the chair across the room.

Sasuke opened the book and began to read, "The river flowed south, having no other option…"

Thus began a nightly ritual. Eventually Sasuke convinced Naruto to move to the couch next to him, so that he wouldn't have to shout across the room.

From there, Sasuke used Naruto's distraction in the story to maneuver him into laying his head on a pillow on Sasuke's leg. The readings didn't last terribly long, a chapter a night, but he came to secretly cherish the relaxing cocoon where they were together, but with the safety of another world between them.

One evening, about a fourth of the way through the book, Sasuke had stopped for a few moments to sip his tea.

"Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think Kisho-san made the right decision to go to the forest to live alone?" he asked about the book's main protagonist.

"That depends." He set down his cup. "What do you think?"

"I can see why he would want to go. His life was nothing but rejection and pain." Naruto fiddled with the fringe on the pillow under his head. "If you're alone, no one can hurt you."

"That's probably true." Naruto was deep enough in thought that he seemed unaware when Sasuke brushed the hair off his forehead and left his fingers tangled in the strands. "But what if, by leaving, he misses out on a bond that could change his life?"

Naruto frowned. "Maybe."

++

After several more readings, Naruto was immersed in the story again. His head was on Sasuke's lap and he was running a finger absently over the ribbing on the brunette's shirt. As Sasuke closed the book for the night, Naruto seemed agitated.

"This isn't going to have a happy ending is it? When he finds out that she only has a year to live, it's going to kill him." He shook his head, frowning. "The ending is going to be terrible. He should have stayed in the forest."

"Do you think so?"

Naruto looked at Sasuke. "You don't?"

"What if something happens to him before she dies? What if he dies first?"

Naruto blinked. "Then she'll be the one hurt. Either way…"

"But they will have had at least one year together; possibly the happiest of both their lives. Would that be a happy ending?" His hand was resting lightly on Naruto's chest. "Would it be worth coming out of the forest then?"

"I've never had anyone so I don't know, but you told me it wouldn't."

Sasuke sat up, frowning. "I did?"

"Well, yeah. Back when you left, you told me that I was luckier because I'd never had bonds. That it was worse to have them and then lose them. I think you're probably right." He missed the stunned look on Sasuke's face.

Sasuke felt sick. Gods, but Naruto was right; Sasuke had told him that very thing. And he had meant it at the time with every cell in his being. But now… When had that changed?

"Naruto," he whispered. "I…

Naruto rolled toward him. "What's wrong?"

"I wasn't right. I mean, I was young and it …hurt so badly at the time, but," Sasuke floundered. This seemed so terribly important, for both their sakes.

"You've changed your mind, then?"

Absolutely he had. He didn't know when or how, although the blond in his lap played no small part in the 'why.'

"Yes. When I was young, after…everything, losing the bonds I had was almost too painful to bear." He gripped Naruto's hand. "But part of the reason it was so painful was the hatred and anger I let fill me. I held onto my grief for too long. I lost sight of how lucky I was to have my family while I did."

He looked down and caressed a whiskered cheek. "It took too long to have any good memories of my family, to appreciate then that there were those who never had a mother to fill their days and nights with comfort and warmth; those who never had a father to be their strength until they were old enough to stand up with their own strength."

"You're feeling pity for me." Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"No. Only sorry that I wanted to rip away from you the only bond you had."

Naruto shrugged. "I get it, though. It's like you said, bonds are painful."

"But the pain isn't the point. The bonds are the point." Sasuke squeezed Naruto's hand. "In our book, Kisho may not have wanted a new bond, but he has one now anyway. Do you think his pain would be less if he ran away from it at this point, or if he stayed and cherished the time they have together?"

"I don't know," Naruto whispered. "If you were Kisho, would you stay knowing…"

"If I had another chance at a bond like that, I would give everything I had to it and not try to predict the future."

That was the last night Naruto let Sasuke read to him from that book.

It was also the night that Sasuke vowed that Naruto would be his.

++

Sasuke decided that the readings, while enjoyable were probably too touchy feely for Naruto. And, as it turned out, the story was hitting too close to home. He was at a loss how to proceed until one evening during dinner.

Naruto had been quiet for the last couple of days after their discussion about bonds, but finally as he poked at his dinner he spoke.

"So Sasuke, what really brings you back to Konoha?"

Again, Sasuke had a variety of answers from which he could choose; he could evade, or insult; he could throw himself uselessly against the wall the blond teen had erected. Or he could try to try to speak to the Naruto he knew better than anyone else.

He thought a moment, and then he had an inspiration, an idea that would allow him to corner the evasive ninja and force them to spend time together.

Liking the idea the more he thought about it, he said, "I would ask that you consider training me."

The look on Naruto's face was alarming. His mouth dropped open. Then closed and opened again. Then he turned around as if looking to see who Sasuke was really talking to.

"Riiight. Pull the other one. It has bells on it."

"I’m in need of a new teacher and I hoped that you would have the time and the inclination..."

"Hold on just a mother fucking minute. I'm the god-damned loser. Sasuke's little dead-last," Naruto interrupted, not even trying to keep the smile on, or the anger off, his face. "Why the fuck would I believe that you want me to train you?"

"Everyone knows that you’re one of strongest shinobi of the five great nations and, since I killed Orochimaru,” Sasuke shrugged, “it's safe to assume I had outgrown him."

Naruto sat frozen. Then he smirked.

"You really killed the snake bastard?" Sasuke nodded and Naruto continued, "Is that what you do with all your teachers when you're done with them?"

"It is too early to confirm with any certainty, but if it puts your mind at ease, I understand that Kakashi-sensei is in good health." Sasuke smirked. “So far.”

Naruto leaned across the table and nodded his head. "You did grow a sense of humor, you bastard." He crossed his arms and grinned. "We'll talk."

++

The next afternoon, Naruto accompanied Sasuke around the perimeter of the property as he took stock of the Uchiha border fence.

"Training, huh?" Naruto and Sasuke had been walking side by side companionably, both heads down, hands in pockets, each fairly comfortable in the other's presence.

"When you're ready."

"My leg healed ages ago. We can start whenever." He kicked a rock absently. "But that's not really why you came back is it?"

Sasuke was silent for a long time.

"No." At Naruto's nod, he added quickly, "I do want to train with you, but no, that's not why I came back." He was silent again for another few minutes.

Then he said, "I've been thinking about the...relationships in my life. Or, rather, the lack of relationships. I've been feeling that I want...something more."

Naruto looked up sharply. "You mean like a romantic relationship?"

"Yes, I suppose."

Naruto's mask, and the accompanying overabundance of activity and noise, was back in place so quickly that Sasuke felt disoriented.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" He grabbed Sasuke by the arm and spun him around.

"Let's see." He stood back and eyed the brunette, his index finger tapping his lips. "How about..." He posed Sasuke, putting one pale hand on one slim hip. He then fluffed Sasuke's hair and stepped back again.

"There, that should attract just about every female…and male…in the village over the age of eleven. I admit the sorting process is going to be a grind, but I think you're up..."

His dialog was interrupted by a ninja sandal planted in the middle of his chest. He lie sprawled in a bush, staring up at the sky.

"Will someone _please_ send me after some dangerous criminals before I end up in a hospital?" he yelled to the clouds above. "What the fuck bastard?"

"Moron," Sasuke growled as he offered Naruto his hand and pulled him to his feet. With a final smack to the back of the blond head, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and started back down the path.

Naruto quickly caught up and soon they were walking in synch again. Finally he sighed,

"Kind of funny, but I've been thinking a lot about that, too."

"What?" Sasuke thought a moment before realizing to what Naruto was referring. "You mean relationships?"

"Yeah." He abused a few more stones in his path. "I wonder what it would be like to...I don't know...have someone of my own."

"Well, as you pointed out, that should be easy enough. I know of at least three people in town who are quite in love with you."

Naruto snorted. "Uh huh."

He cast a speculative look at Naruto. "In fact, I'm certain your relationship with the Hyuuga could be all that you're looking for."

"Hyuuga? _Hyuuga_? _Neji_?" Naruto's voice was getting shriller with each word. Then his mouth opened and closed like a carp, no sound coming out at all.

"In fact, Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan informs us all that Hyuuga Neji is happiest when he...how did she so delicately put it...has your dick up his ass."

Naruto literally stumbled. "What? Neji...I...we," His face was a startling shade of red. Then he swiped his hands in a large motion, slicing them through the air. "Neji and I have never...I would never... Nuh uh. No way."

He and Sasuke were stopped once again on the path as Sasuke observed these reactions. Smirking he turned and started walking again.

Naruto caught up.

"She really said that? In front of people?"

"Hn. Not long after Sai was rhapsodizing about the wonders of your penis."

"Aa! What the fuck? Does this village wait for me to leave so they can sit around and dissect my sex life?"

"So it seems."

"That fucking Sai has never met my penis." He looked sideways at Sasuke. "Anyway, not Neji, not Sai, not _anyone_ from the village."

"Why not?"

"Sasuke, there are only a handful of people in Konoha that can even stand me. If I started ..." He shook his head firmly. "I have to live here. I'm not messing with any of those relationships."

"Are you sure? Hinata worships the ground you walk on."

Naruto was quiet for several moments and Sasuke glanced to the side to try to read what Naruto was thinking.

Finally, Naruto muttered, "Sasuke, can you keep a secret?"

"Yes."

"Well, see, Hinata-chan is...a girl."

"You should be thankful she isn't here, moron, or she'd introduce you to eight trigrams, sixty four palms of pain."

"Huh?"

"I'm pretty sure everyone already knows she's a girl, dumbass." He leaned over and added in a loud whisper, "It's the giant breasts that give it away."

Sasuke and Naruto were once again stopped on the path.

"Eh, that's not what I...huh? She has giant breasts?"

"Giant. You haven't noticed?"

"Er, well, see, that's what I mean." He made several pained expressions and blushed. "You're probably gonna hate me and change your mind about training with me, but you oughta know, I guess. See...girlsareokaybuttheyjustdon'tdoitformelikeguys." He was blushing madly and panting. "Okay?" he yelled, throwing his arms wide.

"Hn." Sasuke just shrugged and headed once again down the path.

Naruto jogged and caught up.

"You aren't mad?"

"Certainly not." His lip twitched. "Be glad Orochimaru wasn't aware of your preference. The price on your head in Sound would have been double."

"Ew, that's just…ew. He's older than Izanagi." Suddenly he looked stricken. "Sasuke…you and the snake bastard…" He looked green.

"Orochimaru-sensei was a rather…frustrated individual. Aside from the age difference, his hygiene made him rather unappealing."

"So he really was a greasy cock sucker." Naruto nudged Sasuke with his elbow and snickered. "Get it? Greasy? Cock sucker?" Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"But what about you? Pretty as you are, they had to be salivating over you like a pack of dogs over a new bone." He nudged Sasuke with his elbow again and waggled his eyebrows lewdly. "Get it? Bone?"

Sasuke smacked him in the back of the head. "I did have to explain to several of them that I was there for training. I have a collection of teeth that I wore on a string around my wrist."

"Ha!" Naruto slapped the brunette on the shoulder.

"So what, did they have some pretty little servants on base?"

"I was there for training."

Naruto blinked several times and scratched the back of his head. "I was training too, but…" He shook his head and scratched his cheek.

"Well, anyway, now that you're back and looking for something more, maybe you and Sakura…"

"No."

"But she has the doilies crocheted and the Sakura tattoo for your ass all picked out." Naruto snickered. At Sasuke's cross look he added, "Seriously, I've seen it."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. 'Naw, just kidding." Just as the brunette's face relaxed, Naruto snickered again. "It really says "Mine," and she plans to engrave it on your dick."

"Naruto, can you keep a secret?" The blond nodded.

He leaned into Naruto's space, keeping his hands in his pockets. "Sakura is a girl."

His smirk almost morphed into a full-fledged grin as the blond turned on his heel and stalked away. He could clearly hear him repeating under his breath, "no fucking the villagers, no fucking the villagers..."


	7. - Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At this point, 'All In' and 'Constellations' are still identical. If you've read one, you've read the other. That will change at Chapter 15...promise!

The next day, Naruto and Sasuke hit the training grounds early.

"So this is just to feel each other up...I mean out." Naruto coughed. "Uhm, feel each other OUT."

He turned and stormed back to the tree where they'd dropped a few supplies, ignoring the slightly arched brow directed at him. Suddenly grouchy, he whipped off his weapons pouch and threw it on the ground.

"Shut the hell up." Naruto pointed a finger across the clearing.

"I didn't say anything." Sasuke made the pretense of straightening his gi top, but amazingly, by the time he was finished, it was open even wider and pulled further from his obi.

"No, but..." Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I hear what you were thinking." He proceeded to empty the pockets of his flak jacket, muttering, "...knew this was a bad idea...never should have agreed...stupid, idiotic..."

He jumped a foot when he felt a hand touch his shoulder.

"Aagh! Don't do that." He clutched his chest and panted. "Well, I see you learned at least one useful move."

"Naruto, if you truly don't want to do this…" Sasuke, whose gi top was now inexplicably hanging off one shoulder, was unconvincingly humble. "Forgive me for asking this of you."

"Oh, blow me, you jackoff. Knock that crap off and get back over there.”

He'd pulled the flak jacket over his head and was shaking it out upside down over the growing pile of paraphernalia; senbon, spools of wire, smoke grenades, soldier pills. Condoms. A nearly empty tube of lube.

Sasuke stooped and gingerly picked up an unopened square of foil with two fingers.

"I'll bet this is handier than a dozen exploding tags."

"Huh? Hey!" Naruto snatched the item out of the older teen's hand. "Gimme that.” Then he waggled his eyebrows lewdly. "A ninja can never be too prepared.

"Anyway, Jiraiya kept giving the damn things to me. Kept warning me about leaving little Uzumakis all over the place. Didn't see the point in telling him, well, you know. Anyway, I don't use 'em. Fuzzy won't even let me get a cold." He shoved the packet back into a small pocket and continued sorting.

The back of his neck started prickling and he turned back to the dark eyed ninja. "What?"

He scowled; Sasuke was right behind him again. "Do you have to stand so fucking close? And what the hell happened to your top?" The gi top was now lying in a heap on the ground.

He then noticed that Sasuke's gi bottoms were now riding scandalously low on his hipbones. His mouth slid open and he stared stupidly at Sasuke for several long seconds. His gaze traveled up and down the lithe body and he was rubbing his palms on the legs of his pants.

Then his eyes narrowed and he held out a handful of shuriken. "I'm warning you, if those drop another inch, I'm going to anchor them to your ass with these."

Sighing, Sasuke walked back to his gi top and slid it back into place around his shoulders. Naruto didn't look at him.

"Let's do this,' Sasuke growled.

"Yeah, yeah. Fine." The younger ninja stalked to the center of the clearing and picked up a small stone.

"Let me get a feel for what you've got. Take this stone from my hand." He took a deep breath, settled into a horse stance and closed his eyes.

"Go ahead."

There were several seconds of dead silence and then Sasuke growled in fury.

"Look, if you don't want to spar with me, just fucking say so, though I ought to lay your ass out for this."

Naruto straightened and looked at the brunette. "What?"

"If you're pissed at me about the gi top…."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto closed his eyes and his lips moved as he silently counted to ten. "Look, there's too high a price on my head so I haven't spent any time in Sound or around Sound ninja. Sooo," he rolled his eyes. "I want to get a feel for what the snake bastard taught you."

He threw his arms up in exasperation, and then put his hands on his hips. "Try to take the fucking stone from my hand, assface. You need me to draw you a picture?"

"Fine, moron. Remember you asked for it." Sasuke ground his teeth and waved his own hand gracefully. "After you," he sneered.

Thirty minutes later, Naruto was standing in the exact same spot, his eyes still closed, the stone still resting peacefully in his open palm. Sasuke however was panting and sweating and picking himself up off the ground for the umpteenth time.

"Can you turn Kyuubi off for one damn minute?"

Naruto straightened. "What? I'm not using Kyuubi. Well, maybe the hearing and smelling parts, but I can't turn those off. Believe me; you'd know if I was."

Sasuke flopped onto his back, arms splayed. "You've got to be kidding me. How the hell do you do that with your chakra?"

"I told you, the Senjutsu training. Here, check this out." Naruto scanned the area until he found what he was looking for, a giant boulder just beyond the edge of the clearing.

"See, wind is my element by birth, but when I started with the toads, I learned that I could actually use all the elements. You just gotta feel…" The whiskered face scrunched in concentration, for a moment. Then his expression became serene. "There it is."

Sasuke heard a grinding sound and turned to the boulder. He watched in disbelief as it rose up off the ground, supported by air and vegetation that had grown out of nowhere. It hovered for a few seconds and then a blade made of water coalesced out of thin air and began slicing at the stone. Bits of the rock started falling away, cleanly sliced from the rest. When the dust settled, the rock was standing upright, a good ten feet tall, in the shape of an Uchiha fan.

Naruto looked at the sculpture and tilted his head. Sasuke watched as a tiny, white hot flame, like a paintbrush, burned a spiral, one rotation as a time, in the center.

The sublime expression on the blonde’s face caught the older teen's breath. He was beautiful. His skin seemed to glow and there was an inner stillness that seemed to run deep as an ocean.

Naruto turned and found Sasuke a foot away, his eyes burning.

"Train me!"

"Let's start with some light sparring." Naruto fastened his glove. "Just throw whatever you want."

Sasuke nodded and dropped into a fighting stance. He started with some tai-jutsu to warm up their bodies, and then progressed into nin-jutsu to align his chakra paths.

He and Naruto seemed equally matched up to this point and he smirked to himself as he readied something sneakier.

After several feints, he made use of a clone, poofed several feet in front of the blond and brought up a Chidori. Chidori was generally a close range weapon, and he bet that Naruto wouldn't be expecting it from a distance.

Next thing he knew he was flying through the air, agony shooting through his limbs. He pulled himself off the ground and realized his clothes were smoking. He'd just been zapped by his own Chidori.

"You okay?"

He looked at Naruto, who stood with his hand around a thick vine that was sprouting from the ground at his feet. It hadn't been there a second ago.

"What did you do?"

"This is made of wood. I blocked your electricity with it."

"You sent it back to me. Wood doesn't conduct electricity." Sasuke stood and brushed the dirt off his ass. "Explain."

"Well, I used a live vine because it has water in it. Water does conduct electricity." He shrugged. "And since it is alive, it's connected to every drop of water on the planet." He rubbed the back of his neck, and looked nervous. "Including the drops under your feet. Are you mad at me?"

"Certainly not."

"Anyway, that's what I thought we'd work on."

"Water?"

Naruto nodded. "See, since I know you're an Uchiha, I knew that one of only a couple things was coming my way."

Sasuke's jaw clenched. "So I'm a one trick pony?"

"Oh, no. Not at all. But most ninja only work with their birth element." He shrugged. "Most ninja _can_ only work with their birth element."

He walked over to Sasuke. "But you're the strongest ninja I know and I think you could work with more than one."

"But water?" Sasuke smirked. "Don't fire and water make…steam?"

Naruto was silent for a moment and then burst into laughter. "Evildoers, beware the wrath of Uchiha Sasuke, Steam Ninja."

He laughed even harder. "Provoke him and suffer the worst hair day of your life."

Sasuke smacked him lightly on the side of the head. "Idiot."

"I was thinking about the electricity." Naruto was still chuckling. "Water seems perfect since it does conduct electricity. The planet is ninety percent water, so if you could tap into that, you could conceivably send a bolt, well, anywhere."

Sasuke gasped. The potential just laid out in front of him was the most exciting thing he'd imagined in years. Certainly the snake never hinted at anything more than building and honing what he already had.

He grasped Naruto's shirt. "Show me. Now!"

Naruto laughed. "Okay. We'll make a sage of you yet."

"A sage? Me?"

"I don't see why not." Naruto rubbed his neck. "If the perv could do it and if I can do it…"

"I don't have as much chakra as you do."

"That's the beauty of it. Once you tap into nature, you actually have a never ending supply."

"Why doesn't every ninja become a sage then?"

"Well, it does take a certain minimum amount to get there." He blushed. "Most ninja don't have that." He looked at Sasuke and something…sensual...entered his eyes. He reached up and pushed Sasuke's bangs out of his face. "You do though."

Then he seemed to realize what he'd done and jerked his hand back. "Uhm, sorry."

Sasuke was exhilarated for the next few weeks as he and Naruto worked on his training. He could barely sleep with the excitement he felt over the things he was learning. In the beginning it was exhausting. He was pushing himself so hard that Naruto had to carry him back to the house each evening.

The time together was taking a toll on his willpower though. He fairly quivered with anticipation whenever he was in Naruto's presence and he knew that Naruto felt the same. The sexual tension between the two could be carved up with a knife.

But Naruto was holding back staunchly.

++

Sasuke knew Naruto was weakening and he was surprised to find that he was nervous; trepidation and exhilaration mixing at the notion of pushing an unmarked button. He didn't know for sure what would happen when Naruto broke.

"How do you want to do this?" Sasuke circled Naruto, close enough that their body heat mixed. "Hard and fast?"

"Sasuke…" Naruto's voice was a warning.

"Slower with more intensity?"

"You're one mean son of a bitch, Sasuke."

"Hn." Sasuke brushed Naruto's hand as he stepped around him.

The tension in his body reaching a snapping point, Naruto was angry and felt an irrational need for some revenge. Plastering a heavy lidded look on his face, he stalked well into Sasuke's space and studied him, sniffing and tilting his head, listening.

"Your heart is pounding." He swiped his tongue along Sasuke's neck and looked thoughtful. "And you're sweating. Nervous?"

"Nar…" Sasuke closed his eyes and pressed his palms to Naruto's chest, thinking he might faint as his blood plummeted from his head to his crotch.

The silence stretched until finally Sasuke opened his eyes again. At the look on Naruto's face, he ran his hands over his own chest to make sure he still had his clothes on.

They stared at each other for several long moments, the trees and the air around them whispering of longing and need. Naruto closed his eyes and muttered, 'bad idea, bad idea, bad id…Aw, fuck it."

Three strides and Sasuke was sandwiched between a tree and a hard place. He stared up at Naruto, his brain emptying at the heated expression on the blonde’s face.

He felt a strong hand grip his jaw and, as his lids drooped, his mouth was covered by warm lips. He was pretty sure the whimper he heard came from his own throat, but didn't really care, in fact once his brain, or rather his crotch, recognized the concept of cause and effect, he decided whimpers were damn alright.

Kami-sama, could the blond kiss. Not that he had a lot of experience, but surely this was the most exquisite feeling in the world. He hung there limply, his head swimming, while Naruto growled and plundered his mouth and hitched Sasuke's body closer, and then closer still.

Naruto shoved a leg between Sasuke's and rested him on the hard thigh muscle so that his hands would be free. He speared his fingers through the dark strands and tilted his head back so he could attack the pale neck.

Sasuke rode the hard thigh between his legs mindlessly until Naruto groaned and wrapped Sasuke's legs around his waist. "Hold on."

Then he staggered away from the tree and dropped to his knees. "Don't let go."

"Ah, gods!" Sasuke's eyes rolled back in his head as he was pushed on his back and Naruto began a fierce rolling motion where their groins met.

A large hand palmed the back of his head; another gripped one ass cheek while Sasuke used his legs to try to fuse their molecules.

Naruto was dragged into a world on fire. And he was pissed about it. He felt a need to punish Sasuke for many things; for pushing him past the point of sanity, for leaving him, for coming back, for making him face this, for making him want things.

He leaned back and flipped Sasuke over onto his stomach. He jerked his hips up with one hand and shoved his face into the dirt with the other, then ground his clothed groin into Sasuke's clothed ass.

"Is this what you want?" Naruto growled and pushed forward.

Sasuke struggled to push up onto his hands, and then shoved backward, growling in return.

Naruto leaned over Sasuke's back so he could reach around and shove his hand into the front of Sasuke's pants and he saw it. Blood was running in several small streams down the side of Sasuke's face, mixing with the sand and gravel from where Naruto had ground his face into the dirt.

He gasped. What the hell was he doing?

"Sasuke." He buried his head in the column of Sasuke's throat and shuddered. "I'm so sorry...

Sasuke snapped into action. He twisted and wrapped his arms and legs around Naruto, then grabbed two handfuls of hair.

"Shut up. Don't you dare." He jerked the blond head toward him and tried to crawl inside Naruto through his mouth.

And then Naruto ignited and Sasuke's world was turned upside down. The comparatively tentative, gentle explorations with Toshio had not prepared him for this. This was raging testosterone and large hard muscles. As Naruto encased his body in the larger sweaty embrace, he felt dominated and powerless. And utterly safe. It was raw and hot and liberating and glorious.

"I can't...ah...last.” The blond pulled back, panting.

That was all Sasuke needed. Lightening coalesced low in his belly and burst outward. The whole encounter lasted less than five minutes and they were both still completely clothed.

Several moments passed during which Sasuke's world righted itself once again and he became aware of the panting and shuddering body above him. He reached up and touched the blond strands at his neck.

Naruto startled him by rolling off and throwing his arm over his eyes.

"I'm sorry. Look, don't tell anyone about this and I promise I'll never touch you again."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and pushed himself onto one elbow. He studied Naruto for a second and then crawled over and straddled him.

"No."

"No, what?" Naruto didn't move his arm from over his eyes.

"No, I won't accept your terms. I understand your decision about involvement with the villagers, but," Sasuke pulled Naruto's arm down. " _But_ ," he repeated more forcefully after Naruto was looking at him, "I'm not the rest of the villagers." He put his hands on either side of Naruto's head. "Am I?"

Naruto didn't answer.

" _Am I_?" Sasuke leaned closer.

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "No, you're worse."

"What does that mean?"

Naruto looked off into the distance. "I can live with having had and lost anybody else."

"You didn't listen to me in the hospital." He leaned in and licked the seam of Naruto's lips. "I came back for you."

Naruto looked into Sasuke's face and felt the abyss before him. Sasuke was showing him the abyss in his eyes. Fearless Sasuke was showing Naruto what could be if he just leapt.

" _Leap_ …"

But this was Sasuke, his Sasuke, and the potential for pain for both of them was so much greater. And Naruto wasn't fearless. He had no fear of death, had been prepared, sometimes eager for it for years. It was living that terrified him.

So he pulled back.

Sasuke saw it and he looked at Naruto speculatively. His eyes narrowed. He hadn't killed a man and walked a thousand miles to give up. Something miraculous was here, hidden. And he was going to lift the cover and show it to Naruto.

"This isn't over."


	8. - Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At this point, 'All In' and 'Constellations' are still identical. If you've read one, you've read the other. That will change at Chapter 15...promise!

"Neji?" Naruto's voice held absolute delight as he dropped over the gate and landed in front of Hyuuga Neji.

"What are you doing here?" He laughed and Sasuke, from his vantage point some distance away, frowned as he watched the blond throw his arm across the other's shoulder.

"You've been on guard duty for many weeks now without a break. I am here to offer a diversion." He inched closer as Naruto leaned back against the closed gate.

"Whatcha got in mind?"

"I am certain your skills have declined to abysmal levels by now, and I thought I'd do Konoha a favor and give you a spar."

"Ha!" Sasuke's teeth ground together as Naruto reached out and ruffled Neji's hair. "You think so, huh?"

"I will assign one of my Anbu to relieve you here for a short time and you can accompany me to the training grounds where I can begin your retraining."

Sasuke seethed. Naruto seemed completely relaxed as Neji leaned against the gate next to him and picked some imaginary debris from the younger teen's shirt.

"I'm certain we have our work cut out for us, but it is my duty to try." Neji was very close to the blond now and Sasuke could almost feel his intention to begin nuzzling the tan neck inches from him.

"Yeah, I th…" Before Naruto could finish his sentence, Sasuke was at his other side, gripping his elbow.

"Hyuuga," Sasuke said stiffly.

"Uchiha," Neji responded adding a polite bow.

"Hey Sasuke, we were thinking of hitting the training grounds. Wanna go?"

"Certainly." As if Sasuke would let Neji spend time with Naruto alone.

"Great. Let me secure the property and we'll go."

Neji and Sasuke waited for Naruto to set traps and clones around the perimeter of the property.

"Orphans?" Sasuke sneered.

Neji turned to look behind him for the children in question. When he found none, he turned back. "What?"

"How very….philanthropic of you. Caring for orphans?"

Neji nodded in understanding. "Not an undertaking of which you approve, I presume."

"Well, Naruto certainly thinks you're wonderful." Sasuke's lip curled in distaste. "Very strategic."

"I freely admit that I first studied the situation because of its importance to Naruto." Neji clasped his hands serenely in front of him. "But I found it to be worthwhile on its own and deserving of a small portion of my pay as well as an hour or two a week of my time."

He cocked his head and continued, "I'm certain you've been too…preoccupied to know, but Naruto and I are both also orphans."

Sasuke closed his eyes. He had known, but he had forgotten.

"I'm being an ass."

"Beyond a doubt, and I encourage it." Neji nodded slightly. "In fact, I encourage you to explore the whole spectrum of self absorbed idiocy at your fingertips, especially if you are so insecure about your place in his life that you are worried about me."

"You would take him away from me," Sasuke accused.

"I would have him happy. Whether that is with me, you or if he found he'd developed an affection for toads."

Sasuke didn't laugh. "Me, too, but I want to _make_ him happy."

"Of course, you are an Uchiha. If Naruto didn't like a blue sky, it would become your life's work to make it orange."

Sasuke nodded. "There is a part of me like that. But, one orphan to another," he said solemnly, "for all that I would rearrange the universe, damn little has ever gone my way."

Neji sighed. "I know that, my friend." He held out his hand. "Shall we agree to give Naruto the freedom to make the choices that will make him happy?"

Sasuke couldn't help but look for a trap in that. Finding none, he took Neji's hand and squeezed.

"You are making it hard for me to dislike you."

"Your difficulties are a balm to my soul." Neji smirked.

Just then Naruto poofed back. "Ready?"

They walked. Naruto liked to take his time moving around Konoha when he could. He liked to see the people and the places, the things that had changed and the things that had not.

As they walked, Neji talked. "These exercises are mostly for me. Naruto doesn't really get anything out of them."

"I do, too." He rubbed his neck. "Every little bit helps."

"Little bit?" Neji raised a brow.

"Oh, uh, that's just a figure of speech."

Neji turned back to Sasuke. "He is the reason I am Anbu captain."

Naruto was blushing furiously. "I'm standing right here."

"The training he can provide runs the gamut of elements. Further, he is terribly inventive on the battle field. One could be dealing with weapons and clones one moment and multiple elements the next. The sage training brings in techniques that most shinobi have never seen before. By the time I was seventeen, I'd had more practical and varied battlefield simulations than most twenty year veterans."

Neji touched Naruto's shoulder. "He is an invaluable comrade."

"Glad I could help," Naruto muttered grouchily.

Three hours later, Neji and Sasuke sat side by side against a large scorched boulder. Naruto had left them to rest while he went to try and repair some of the damage they'd done to the acres around them.

They were both dripping with sweat and covered in blood, soot and dirt. And both had content smiles on their faces.

"What a workout," Sasuke said passing a flask of water to Neji.

Neji nodded. "And yet he still has enough to go and replace the vegetation that we destroyed."

Sasuke shook his head in wonder. He barely had enough chakra left to light a match. He could hardly comprehend that Naruto was out regrowing trees and shrubbery.

Then as he turned his head to take the flask that Neji was returning, he noticed a distinct lump in the front of Neji's pants. Neji had a fucking erection. Not unlike the one in his own pants.

With a tired sigh, he reached out and took the flask. "You know I'm going to have to kick your ass one of these days." He took a drink and handed the flask back once again.

Neji took a serene swig and wiped at his mouth. "Good luck with that," he answered wearily.

"I can hear you." They heard Naruto's voice yelling from far away. "And there will be no fighting or I'll kick both your asses."

The absurdity of Naruto's proclamation hit both of them and they burst into simultaneous chuckles, which, strangely, heralded the birth of a surprising mutual friendship.

"Toads, huh?" Sasuke said still smiling.

"Gods, I hope not."

++

Sasuke found Naruto leaning against the cherry tree nearest the gate. His arms were crossed, but Sasuke could tell that the blond was half dozing.

He stealthily moved to within inches of his friend and waited for the heightened senses to become aware of him. Sure enough, within seconds, Naruto's nose twitched and his head turned in his direction. After another couple of seconds, blue eyes opened.

Since Naruto was still here and hadn't bolted, he moved in front of him, straddling his legs and aligning their groins. When the blond still hadn't run, Sasuke leaned in, swiping his tongue across Naruto's lips.

"I wondered when you slept," he murmured. "There are several comfortable beds in the house." His hands moved to Naruto's hips and rested there lightly while he buried his nose in the tan neck.

Naruto kept his hands clenched around the fabric of his pants. He was frantically trying to convince himself that if he didn't reach out and touch Sasuke, he wasn't actually participating and was somehow safer. It sounded good in his head.

When Sasuke resumed the kiss, nibbling on Naruto's lips, thoroughly exploring each at a leisurely pace, Naruto closed his eyes and tried to remember why he was resisting.

"I love kissing you," Sasuke whispered without breaking contact. He moved to place bites along the strong jaw.

"You excite me so much." He took Naruto's hand and pressed it to his full erection. Naruto trembled.

"I want to fuck you." Naruto whimpered. "And I want you to fuck me."

Naruto yanked his hand back and his chest heaved as though he'd been running laps with Lee.

Sasuke sighed. "You're killing me here." He smirked and reached around to grasp two ass cheeks. "You realize that you are forcing me to do two things that no Uchiha in the entire history of Uchihas has ever had to do."

He kept talking even though Naruto was pressed as far back against the tree as he could get.

"I'm certain that I'm the first Uchiha _ever_ to have to seduce someone into bed."

He stepped back and sighed again. "And it goes without saying that I'm the first to actually fail."

"Sasuke…"

The brunette leaned on one arm next to Naruto. "I'll bet none of your other partners had to try this hard."

Naruto looked down. "None of the others had my heart dangling over a meat grinder."

Sasuke tilted his head. "I would never again treat a bond…," he struggled for words that conveyed his feelings, but didn't say more than Naruto would be willing to hear.

"I've lost a lot." He shrugged. "I've thrown a lot away. But I've …"

Naruto struggled from his position between Sasuke and the tree.

"I don't know this Sasuke. The Sasuke that…" He waved his hand to indicate the space between them.

"I only know this Sasuke." And he pulled his shirt off his left shoulder.

Sasuke looked at the exposed flesh. As he studied the tattoos on the left side of Naruto's body, he realized he'd never seen Naruto without a shirt.

Just like his arm, flames crept up from his left hip along his torso culminating in a swirl of black fire encircling a fist sized pink scar just above the teen's heart.

Sasuke blanched. "Gods, Naruto. I'm so…" As he looked at it, the scar seemed larger than the universe, an impossibly wide barrier between him and Naruto.

Sasuke bowed his head. "I'm sorry I hurt you."

"It's not that." Naruto waived his hand in dismissal. "I did this to remind myself that you can't live another person's life. And you can't make someone care if they don't. I did this bec…"

"You made me happy," Sasuke interrupted, looking Naruto in the eye.

Naruto just stared at him wide eyed.

"We laughed and played and trained as if we had futures, while my family was dead." Sasuke looked toward the sky, remembering. "And their murderer was gallivanting around the countryside." He looked back at Naruto. "It felt like a betrayal that my anger and hatred were fading, that I was beginning to enjoy life again.

"Then he came back and ignored me," Sasuke continued. "I had been too pathetic to kill. He killed my ninety year old grandmother and my two year old cousin, but not me."

Sasuke touched the scar. "You had surpassed me and he came back to Konoha for you. He made me feel worthless, insignificant, a silly child. I realized that I had forgotten what got me through those first years after the massacre, that burning hatred and wish for revenge. I had forgotten what I'd decided was my purpose. The pain had suddenly returned with a vengeance. I couldn't live among happy people anymore."

"But to be truly honest," he said as Naruto just watched him, "looking back, the real reason I left was to leave all the pain behind."

"Did you?"

"Eventually, just not in the way I originally intended. But what I want you to understand is that I never left to get away from you."

"I'm a coward, Sasuke." Naruto pushed his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I'm so fucking afraid of you, what you could do to me," Naruto said. "I've spent the last three years training and just…getting up each day until this village needs me to die for it."

"Naruto…"

"That was easier than this. Don't you think that's funny? I'm less afraid of Kyuubi, Akatsuki, Orochimaru, Itachi and the whole Sound contingent than I am of you?"

Sasuke just looked at Naruto for a moment.

"You think it's any different for me? I was less afraid of a bargain for death with Orochimaru than I was of…living my life. It was easier to just agree to die than to try to start over, to care again.

"But I changed. When the three years were up and Orochimaru wanted to do the transfer, I found that I wanted to live." He gripped Naruto's chin. "I chose life and then I came here because I thought this is the only place in the whole world where another human being cared about me." His grip turned into a caress against a whiskered cheek.

"You, you're the only one who sees and cares about the real me. Without you, I have nothing, no one."

"I was waiting for someone to come and tell me that you were dead," Naruto murmured.

"And then what, Naruto?"

He sighed and his eyes closed. "I wouldn't have wanted to live anymore."

"So I ask you, what's the difference? Would life be better or worse if we spend what time we have together?

"Listen," Sasuke continue into the silence. "I don't know what you think I'm doing here. I can tell you that I'm not using you for bait; Itachi is coming one way or another.

"What I can't get anywhere else in this entire world is someone who feels about me the way I believe you do."

He pulled Naruto's shirt back up over his shoulder and smoothed the fabric with his hands. "I don't want you to do anything you really don't want to, but Naruto, as for me, I just don't want to be alone anymore."

After placing a brief kiss on his lips, Sasuke turned and walked back toward the house.


	9. - Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At this point, 'All In' and 'Constellations' are still identical. If you've read one, you've read the other. That will change at Chapter 15...promise!

Naruto came into the house looking for Sasuke. It was his turn to fix dinner and he wanted to see what Sasuke wanted to eat.

He knew he'd been acting differently since Sasuke had talked to him two days ago. In truth, Naruto had been thinking a lot and fighting an increasingly useless battle with himself.

Gods, he wanted to take a chance on this. He'd been so in love with Sasuke for such a long time. And the idea of having someone in his life, caring for someone, having someone care for him was beyond tempting. But the fear of heartache held him paralyzed.

The pain he'd felt after Sasuke had left three years ago had almost incapacitated him. The only way he had been able to continue was to set a goal, to narrow his days, his thoughts to next steps, small actions. For Naruto this had been Sakura's request for Sasuke's retrieval. But he’d had to keep that goal as more like a to-do list item. He couldn’t really think about it; he dared not look too closely at it, because it had been unreasonable.

He supposed in that way, he and Sasuke had been alike. In order to overcome devastating loss, they had each latched on to purposes beyond themselves, indifferent to the irrationality of ultimate costs of those decisions.

Yes, he could probably bring Sasuke back to Konoha, but he couldn't make Sasuke come _home_ ; no one but Sasuke could do that. Naruto couldn't think about the fact that if he managed to overpower Sasuke and drag him back, the only way to keep him would be in a prison cell, which would have killed both of them.

When he'd learned of the reward in Sound, he'd been forced to come face to face with the truth. At that point, a new purpose had emerged; his own death, or as he preferred to think of it, his sacrifice. He knew that was his true lot in life; what his father had done for humanity and what his father expected him to do for humanity. And because of his lineage, the genetic legacy of his incomparable father, he had the ability to sacrifice on a grand scale, buying, perhaps, more peace than anyone else alive.

So he trained. And trained, and trained. And planned for the unforeseen. If his purpose was to be mankind's salvation, then he'd be the best damned salvation they'd ever seen. He would not fail at this as he had failed his friend. If he couldn’t protect his friend, he’d protect his friend’s world.

But he had a human heart and had a secret wish to tell his story, a yearning to not be forgotten. Of course, he knew that no one really cared about his story, but he could tell it anyway, in ink and flesh.

He hadn't let Kyuubi heal Sasuke's wound for many reasons. He needed to study it in the aftermath, his thirteen year old self trying to understand the emotions that could cause the annihilation of the only bond either boy had.

He'd also felt that he deserved this thing, this gaping hole in his life; he'd failed his first, his only friend, and part of his punishment was the constant visual reminder of that failing.

And, as he'd explained to Sasuke, he needed to remind himself of the cold hard facts of life; that just because you loved someone was no promise that they would love you in return.

So in every village, every little hamlet he'd visited with Jiraiya, he'd found the local tattoo artist and performed his penance, his self flagellation. He'd found a measure of peace through this. No, that wasn't right. He had not found peace; he'd found numbness. He'd found a deadness of soul that was just waiting for his body to catch up.

But his friend had come back, bringing with him a tidal wave of feelings and emotions and this bothersome, terrifying glimmer of hope, things that Naruto had thought no longer existed inside of him.

Was his friend right? There was no denying that bond was there and Naruto was in anguish now. If something happened to Sasuke, would it hurt less than if they became involved?

As he came through the kitchen, he spied Sasuke sitting on the couch, a pile of laundry next to him. Naruto watched as the older teen folded items and stacked them on the table in front of him.

As he stood out of sight, the scene suddenly morphed. He pictured the teenager sitting just like this, alone, performing this mundane chore week after week in a dim, dank cell in Sound.

This vision was followed by a reminder, something long forgotten, that made his breath catch and his eyes burn.

A human heart beat in Sasuke's chest!

As a child, though his friend had never shared it with anyone, Naruto had instinctually known of Sasuke's pain. That pain, so familiar, like looking in a mirror, had been part of what bonded Sasuke to him.

But his friend had always been so independent, so strong. Even the adults in the village had seen Sasuke managing his days, showing up for class, performing in a calm, competent manner and had let themselves be lulled into a kind of mass blindness. For those who didn't look too closely, it was easy to forget that Sasuke's life was an absolute tragedy. Another common thread between them, he supposed.

A memory surfaced. He remembered walking home on the hill up from the lake. Sasuke had been sitting alone down on the dock. Naruto remembered thinking how small his teammate looked with the vast expanse of water and immensity of blue sky as his background. He'd somehow known at that moment that Sasuke was lonely and further, that he didn't want to be. It had been an unspoken foundation of their friendship.

Since Sasuke had left, however, Naruto had been able to bury the pain of existence under missions and demons and plans for his own end until he'd forgotten that the words 'alone' and 'lonely' even existed.

Until Sasuke had reminded him two days ago.

As he looked again at his friend, he saw the years stretch out behind them, years in which a small, dark haired boy toiled, _alone_ , folding his laundry. Sat at a table, _alone_ , eating meals in silence. Put himself to bed each night, _alone_ , no human voice to wish him goodnight. Roused himself every morning, _alone_ , just to start the same routine over again, beginning and ending each day in these cold, empty rooms with the echoes of his solitary footsteps his only companion.

He'd been afraid to trust Sasuke's motives up until now, because he had forgotten about this thing called ‘loneliness.’ But suddenly, his own fears vanished as Sasuke's words hit home, "… _I_ _don't want to be alone anymore…_ " " _I don’t want to be alone_ …" "… _anymore_ …" _Lonely_ …

His precious friend. So determined, so brave. So alone. Naruto knew what it was like to be alone every day, every night. But it had to have been so much harder to pick oneself up and go through the motions of the day after a tragedy such as Sasuke's. To want to cry like the small child he'd been, to want someone to take it all away and care for him, but instead to have to find a place inside that no child, no person, should ever have to find, to set oneself in stone and go on.

And Sasuke had done that, he'd gone on. The heaviness of loneliness had outweighed his fear of another loss and after a time, he had, bravely, sprouted tender shoots that reached toward the light of other bonds.

As he watched the solitary brunette sitting in the utter silence of his empty Uchiha home, placing his boxers in precise stacks, feelings of longing and affection surged in Naruto's chest. He had an overwhelming urge to hold Sasuke and vow that he'd never leave him alone again.

Naruto smirked to himself. If he hadn't known it before, he knew it as an absolute fact now; it was a simple truth, if Sasuke needed something from him, he'd move mountains to give it to him.

Taking a moment to ensure his composure was intact, he strolled into the room and plopped onto the couch close enough that their thighs touched.

Sasuke slid him a sideways glance and shook out a sleeveless black tee.

Naruto reached out and ran his finger down a stack of all black boxers, conspicuous next to another stack of shorts in an eye watering array of colors.

"Tch. Boring."

"It's underwear. Perhaps the part of the word… _under_ …has escaped your notice." Sasuke added another plain black tee shirt to a stack of plain black tee shirts. "No one is supposed to see them."

Naruto laughed. "Well, that's not very optimistic."

"Hn." Sasuke picked up a pair of Naruto's boxers you could almost hear for their loudness. "Do your lovers actually find these stimulating?"

"Hey, gimme those. They're my lucky shorts." He made a grab for them.

Sasuke held them out of reach.

"Lucky?" His lips thinned. "I promise you that I don't want to hear this story."

Naruto twisted and leaned far enough toward the boxers so that he had Sasuke pinned to the back of the couch.

"They are lucky," he whispered. "I was wearing these the day you came back." He maneuvered himself so that he was facing Sasuke, then he traced a finger down the firm chest before him.

"Naruto…" The cotton fabric fell from Sasuke's fingers.

Naruto swallowed and closed his eyes for a moment. "I want to try…" He shrugged.

"Are you sure?"

"Tch. Of course not." He slid his hand up Sasuke's arm and over his shoulder to wrap around the back of his neck. "But," he said, his face red, "I love you."

He continued over Sasuke's intake of breath. "I always have and I think I probably always will." He pressed their foreheads together. "Whether we're together or not."

"Naruto…" Sasuke whispered and reached up to cup Naruto's face. After a moment, he leaned up and pressed his lips to Naruto's cheek, his chin, his temple, his eyelids.

But as he moved to cover Naruto's lips, Naruto moved to sit comfortably. He gripped Sasuke's hips and pulled him around so that he was straddling his lap.

"Relax. Close your eyes."

Sasuke only hesitated a moment and then complied. After a few moments he felt the atmosphere around him change; felt it charged with Naruto's chakra. He sighed as the air around him compressed his body. Then the space around him heated and shimmered with a subtle vibration. He found his mind emptying as Naruto enclosed him in a cocoon of warmth and weightlessness and gentle massage.

Then his eyes flew open as he felt a chakra, not his own, invading his body. Slender tendrils of current and a more intense heat slid through his limbs, working inexorably south. One particularly intense streamer of lava-like sensation slithered down his spine. Several others wound through his abdomen and wrapped themselves around the nerves and blood vessels inside his lower regions.

"Relax. I won't hurt you."

"That's no…aah…" Sasuke couldn't even choke out a complete sentence.

Naruto began an increasingly aggressive assault until Sasuke's chest was heaving like a bellows and he was crying out continuously.

Finally Naruto swelled the tendrils he'd speared through Sasuke's body and then sent a gentle pulse of energy.

Sasuke threw his body backward and choked out and almost pained cry as his body seized and gasping sobs left his mouth.

Finally he hung completely limp, his arms hanging at his sides, his head lolling, his mouth hanging open.

Naruto gently brought Sasuke to rest against his chest and wrapped his arms around the twitching body. He stroked dark strands and brushed his lips along the sweating brow, soothing and murmuring gentle syllables.

Finally, Naruto worried that he'd gone too far. "Sasuke, are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

"Kami-fucking-sama. Do they know what the Sages have been teaching you?" Sasuke tried to lift his cheek from Naruto's chest and then seemed to give up the effort.

Naruto imagined the toads teaching him something like that and couldn't help but chuckle.

"I didn't learn that from them."

"How many other guys have you done that to?"

"Huh?"

"I'm wondering how much competition is going to be coming here to kill me to get you back. Or how much competition I'm going to have to kill to keep you."

"I've never done anything like that before."

"Hn."

"It's true. What can I say? You inspire me."

Sasuke finally pulled himself into an upright position. He shoved his fingers into the hair at Naruto's temple.

"Sleep with me." He found that he wasn't surprised to see the smile on Naruto's face slip. He realized several things about their encounter. They both still had all their clothes on, Naruto hadn't actually touched him and the pleasure had remained one sided.

His first inclination was to push, but he stopped himself. Naruto had said he wanted to try. And he'd told Sasuke that he'd loved him. He'd come a long way toward reaching for what Sasuke was offering.

But even he knew that once they went into that bedroom and Naruto gave himself over completely, there was no going back for either of them.

He pushed to his feet. "Go ahead and make your rounds. You know where my room is if you want." He bent over and kissed Naruto's forehead. "If not I'll see you in the morning."

++

The next few days, Sasuke kept his distance. He found that it was important to him that Naruto come to him freely and willingly. So during the day, they trained and worked on the property, but Sasuke didn't pressure Naruto for as much as a kiss.

At the end of each of the next few days, Sasuke would say, "You know where my room is. You're welcome to sleep there if you want." Then he would leave Naruto to choose.

Three mornings he was disappointed, but not surprised to wake alone.

The fourth evening just as he folded the blankets back on this bed, Naruto stepped into his room.

Naruto had been wrestling with this decision for days. He first thought that it was one thing to want to take care of Sasuke, to hold him, to protect him, to take Sasuke's heart in his hands; it was another altogether to give his heart over to Sasuke.

Then he admitted that Sasuke already had his heart, and had since Naruto was seven years old. It was the fear of giving Sasuke so much power over him that was holding him back.

As he watched Sasuke walk away from him the fourth night in a row, and felt his body start to move on its own, his heart beat harder, his breath come faster, sweat break out on his whole body, he realized Sasuke already had that as well.

Sasuke just didn't know it.

And so he had one last secret, one last weakness that he'd been hiding and the thought of showing it to Sasuke scared him. When this secret came out, there would be no more hiding or lying to either of them.

He came to stand in front of Sasuke and stared at his feet.

"I have another tattoo," he blurted out. Then he winced and scrunched his shoulders.

"Okay." Sasuke shrugged. When Naruto just stood there staring at the floor, Sasuke moved to push at Naruto's shirt. Naruto held his hands.

"What? Is it a naked girl? Some guy's name?"

"I wish," Naruto muttered looking at the ceiling. Then he sighed, "Ah, screw it," and let go of Sasuke's hands.

Sasuke studied him for several moments and then finished pushing the shirt off his shoulders. As the garment fluttered to the ground, he raked his gaze up and down the muscled torso. He nodded as he saw more of the flames that he already knew were there.

Sasuke reached out and traced a streamer of black fire that undulated from Naruto's hipbone passed his left nipple, joining with the flames from his left arm to culminate in a swirl around the scar.

"I like them," he said and shrugged. But Naruto still wasn't looking at him. The blond sighed again and looked once more at the ceiling.

Then he turned around.

Sasuke gasped as he saw an explosion of color from one shoulder to the other, down thick muscle to the small of the tan back, disappearing into Naruto's pants. It was...flames from a more vibrant palette? Or…feathers?

No! It was tails!

Yes. Nine orange and red tails, dramatically streaked and outlined with black and gold, fanned out from Naruto's left hip to spread across the entirety of the broad back. Without thought, he reached out and pulled the waistband of the pants back to see where the color stopped. It didn't.

"Naruto..."

The blond sighed loudly one more time and reached for the fastening of his pants. Sasuke's eyes widened more as the garment slid over Naruto's ass and down his legs to hit the ground. The burst of colors continued over the left cheek and went all the way down to his left ankle.

Sasuke squatted and reached out, mesmerized by what he was seeing.

The tails on his back were just one end of what was obviously a depiction of Kyuubi. The fox looked to be racing down Naruto's leg, but as Sasuke's inspection reached the crease where ass cheek met hamstring, he gasped again.

It wasn't just the demon. Just below where the fox's rear haunch and Naruto's left buttock fused, silver and gray mixed with the orange and gold. A snake!

Etched onto Naruto's leg was the demon fox, ferocious, with fangs and claws bared, locked in battle with an equally vicious looking snake. The demon had the malevolent looking creature in its mouth just below the scaly neck while the rest of the snake's muscular body was tangled around the furred shoulders and powerful haunch.

The snake's head stuck out of Kyuubi's maw far enough that the snake and fox were almost snout to snout, their gazes blazing at each other.

As he touched the lines reverently with the tips of his fingers once more, he saw more than ink and flesh. He felt a burning behind his eyes as he saw Naruto in a battle for his soul.

Naruto had used his body as a canvas onto which he could pour his conflicting emotions. On the front was his acknowledgement that he couldn't make Sasuke's choices. The highlighted scar, made by Sasuke's own fist, represented an effort to respect the choices his friend had made and to let him go.

On the back was Naruto's desperate need to never let Sasuke go, and further, to save him from the choices he'd made. It showed the pressing weight of Naruto's acute desire to protect his friend.

Naruto finally fidgeted and Sasuke realized he'd been staring open mouthed at the creation for some time, stunned by the artwork and sheer quantity of ink.

He looked slowly back up the length of the battle until he, once again, reached the tails and found Naruto rubbing his neck. Sasuke nodded to himself; this tattoo revealed everything that Naruto had been feeling over the last years. And denying for weeks.

Making sure his face was composed; he stood and turned Naruto by the elbow.

"I was planning to brand an Uchiha fan on your ass, but you've saved me the trouble."

Naruto closed his eyes and shoved his fingers through his hair. He opened his mouth to say...something, but was interrupted.

"I don't want to hear anymore from you on this. The battle is over." Sasuke circled Naruto once more, taking in the flames...Uchiha flames, he realized…on Naruto's chest, and the battle between Naruto and Orochimaru depicted on Naruto's back. "It's been over for years."

He completed his circuit and was standing again in front of the other teen, only much closer. "You're mine. Now shut up."

He narrowed his eyes and pulled his shirt off his shoulders. He took satisfaction when Naruto's eyes changed to a deep gold and his lips parted.

Then he jerked the buttons on his pants. Seconds later, he stood completely naked in front of Naruto.

'You've been making this too complicated." He reached down and grasped his hardening length. "I want you. You want me." He stroked himself slowly. "It's that simple."

Naruto's eyes were riveted on the movement of Sasuke's hand.

Sasuke stroked another few seconds and then reached out and shoved his hand under his pillow. When he brought his hand back, he was holding a new tube of lube.

"You said I wasn't optimistic…" Sasuke's lips pursed.

As sweat slid down Naruto's temple, Sasuke lifted one foot and placed it on the mattress beside his prey. Never breaking eye contact, he squeezed a small glob onto his fingers and reached behind himself.

Naruto's breathing became labored as he watched one of Sasuke's hands stroke the straining flesh of his erection, while the other hand penetrated his ass. He licked his lips as Sasuke groaned.

"Naruto…"

Naruto's world narrowed to a single drop of fluid growing at the tip of the pale hardness. As it became large enough to take a life of its own and begin a descent toward the floor, something in Naruto snapped.

He cried out and fell to his knees. He grasped Sasuke's hips and captured the slowly lengthening string on his tongue.

Sasuke stopped all movement and both males just stared at each other.

But Sasuke's taste was on Naruto's tongue now and his flesh was under his fingers. Sasuke, his Sasuke, the one person he'd loved nearly all his life. He closed his eyes and filled his mouth and all his other senses with nothing but this.

When Sasuke's knees buckled, Naruto held him up, never giving up the feel of hot velvety skin or the musky scent that was fogging his brain.

"Naruto… now…"

Naruto only comprehended enough to comply. He pressed Sasuke onto his back on the mattress.

Sasuke immediately wrapped his legs around the broad back. He tangled his fingers in blond hair and panted, "Do it."

Naruto's whole body was shaking. This wasn't his first time, or even his hundredth but he knew this time was going to change his life forever. For good or ill, he had no idea.

Sasuke wouldn't let him go slowly. As soon as he had himself positioned, the brunette shifted and tightened his leg muscles, joining their bodies completely in one motion, lest Naruto change his mind.

They both cried out and stilled, panting and shuddering. Then Naruto began to move. He gripped the hair at the back of Sasuke's head and with a dominating little yank, proceeded to devour his mouth. When Sasuke moaned and pulled Naruto's face closer with his own handfuls of blond hair, Naruto reached around and hooked his fingers over Sasuke's shoulders, using this new leverage to move his whole body. The bed squeaked and the mattress slid as Naruto did his best to meld their two bodies into one.

Jerking back so he could breathe, he buried his head in Sasuke's shoulder, keeping their bodies close. He could feel the slide of his skin over the slippery hardness between them, could hear Sasuke moaning and panting. He bent his knees and changed the angle slightly. Sasuke immediately tensed and cried out.

His fingernails dug grooves into Naruto's back and that added intensity caused the burning low in the blond's belly to constrict and then flair out, shooting up his spine and out his extremities.

He raised his head and watched Sasuke, whose head was thrown back in a silent scream. The temptation of the exposed throat was too much and he attacked it, biting and sucking until the storm was passed. Then he just rubbed his lips back and forth trying to memorize the taste and feel of the pale skin.

After many boneless moments, he started to pull away. Sasuke growled and locked his legs around Naruto's back.

"No, I'm never letting you go."

Naruto's lips twitched.

"It'll be interesting explaining to the old hag that you have to go with me on all my missions because your ass is attached to my dick."

"Shut up."

Naruto dropped his head back onto Sasuke's shoulder and let the post coital chemicals empty his brain for now. It was too late to fret anyway, the deed was done. Right now he let himself be aware of nothing but the feel of Sasuke's fingertips sliding up and down his back.

 


	10. - Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At this point, 'All In' and 'Constellations' are still identical. If you've read one, you've read the other. That will change at Chapter 15...promise!
> 
> NOTE!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> SPOILER - Rant on Issue 700 is at the end of this chapter in the Chapter Notes - Skip if you haven't read the end of Naruto yet and don't want to be spoiled. Or skip because you don't want to read my rant...s'all good.

 

Sasuke woke slowly, a sense of being watched tickling his senses. He opened his eyes and found Naruto sitting cross legged on the bed watching him.

"Hi," he said, remembering Naruto falling asleep on top of him the night before.

"Hey."

"Everything okay?"

"The sound of your heartbeat woke me up."

Sasuke blinked. "I'm sorry."

"No, no!" Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and Sasuke felt a stirring in his groin. "It's just never happened to me before. I've never slept near another person."

This was interesting. Sasuke sat up and faced Naruto in a similar position.

"Never? What about missions?" He rubbed a finger on a tanned knee.

"My missions are solo. The last time I went out with a team was with Team Seven. When I do go out with…well, anyway, I don't sleep." He grinned. "It's a bad idea to sleep around Hunters; kind of like dropping your soap in the shower."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "They hurt you?"

"Oh. Naw. I've never...uhm…been with anyone I didn't want to." Naruto scooted closer.

"Sasuke, I liked it," he said solemnly.

Sasuke leaned back on his arms and studied him. "I meant every word. You're mine now." He cocked his head. "Are you okay with that?"

"I've been yours since I was seven years old." Naruto laughed gently. "Whether you wanted me or not."

Sasuke tilted his head. "I wondered if that was the battle I was fighting." He pulled the blond closer. "Then can you let yourself be happy about it?"

"Yeah."

Sasuke's 'Hn' was muffled as he found his tongue in a battle with another.

++

Naruto had just rinsed the last of the shampoo from his hair when the shower door was ripped open. Sasuke crowded into the stall with him and immediately began running his hands up and down the slippery body.

"You're a fucking mink, Uchiha." Naruto stepped closer.

"You're complaining?" Sasuke looked slightly affronted.

"Fuck no. I'm getting laid more than any twelve guys I know."

"It's your own fault," Sasuke sniffed, "for being so..." He growled and bit Naruto's shoulder muscle.

"Anyway," he continued, "I feel duty-bound to obliterate the memories of each and every one of your previous lovers," he sucked on a hard bicep, "one at a time." He raised a brow. "How many did you say there were?"

Naruto grinned broadly. "Oh, I don't know. Forty or fifty thousand."

Sasuke nodded. "Shall we shoot for year's end?"

Naruto laughed. "Whatever you say; you're the genius."

"Precisely. Now shut up and put your hands between my legs."

A hundred years, or seconds, later, Sasuke became aware that he was seated in the shower, propped against one wall and in that moment he knew with a sudden and startling clarity that he would never, ever get enough of Naruto.

++

An impossibly fast blur caught Sakura's attention. It was quickly followed by a second, just as fast, blur.

Sasuke. And Naruto.

Then she sensed the intensity of the adrenalin and… Emotions? Tension? It filled her with unease. Something was wrong.

Her only thought being that Sasuke might be in some kind of trouble, she instinctively masked her chakra and bolted after the pair.

When she caught up, the young men were facing each other in a stand of trees. Both were panting and sweating.

She perched on a branch, hidden, trying to determine if this was more than just a spar.

Naruto leapt at the dark haired ninja. Sasuke's reflexes were incredible, however and he gracefully tossed the blond some distance away. Naruto twisted easily and launched himself again toward the brunette.

"You're not getting away this time."

"Hn."

The struggle continued for several minutes. Sakura bit her knuckles, still undecided if this was a friendly match, or if Sasuke was trying to get away. The emotions she felt coming from the two didn't feel like training. In spite of her arguments to the contrary, she knew that no one in the village could beat Naruto, probably not even Sasuke.

Her heart started pounding when a Naruto clone popped behind Sasuke and grabbed him from behind. Sasuke relented and stood, proud, stoic.

"Alright, you've caught me. What are you going to do?"

The larger teen strolled over to the captive ninja. Sakura could see the look on the whiskered face, the way he licked his lips, and her stomach churned. "No!"

The wind picked up and swirled around Sasuke, filling the space between his sleeveless tank and his skin. Then Naruto's chakra covered hands hovered over the black fabric, turning it to ashes in their wake. Sasuke just glared.

Sakura was beside herself, unsure if she should do something. Sasuke would not thank her for coming to his rescue if he could rescue himself. But could he rescue himself?

She then watched as Sasuke reached behind his head, grabbed the clone by the neck and yanked hard enough to make it disappear. He moved into Naruto's space and took the blond to the ground. The two rolled around grunting, one on top, and then the other.

It seemed to Sakura that Sasuke was holding his own. She would not interfere unless necessary, her standing with Sasuke was too important to offend him unnecessarily.

The two were facing each other again; sweat pouring off their bodies. Sasuke was in the hold of another clone.

"You are so unimaginative, you moron. Clones again?"

"Why not stick with what works?" With that the blond prowled forward, and to Sakura's horror, yanked the tie on his opponent's gi bottoms and jerked them to the ground.

Sasuke was now naked and glaring ferociously at his attacker.

Three more clones popped into being and surrounded the older teen. "See what I mean? Clones are great." The four extra blonds then dragged the struggling brunette to the ground. Naruto was on top of him in a moment. The four clones disappeared as Naruto reached down and undid the ties on his own bottoms.

Sakura watched for another few seconds to see if Sasuke would free himself again. But their positions didn't change. His hands were on the tan shoulders, and his body was writhing, but Naruto was still on top, his pants around his thighs.

Screeching, she leapt into the clearing and infusing all her chakra to her hands, grabbed the blond by one arm and threw him as hard as she could. He slammed into a tree trunk and slumped to the ground.

She grabbed a stunned looking Sasuke and pulled him into her arms. "Hurry, before he gets up." But Naruto was already up and staring at her in shock.

"Sakura," Sasuke said.

"Are you okay? Can you help me? Maybe together we can take him. At least get him immobilized until we can get some Anbu here." She turned on Naruto, her hands full of weapons.

"You're a beast, a monster. I knew you were an animal, but this is the most unspeakable, most nauseating thing I've ever seen. You should be…"

"Sakura!" Sasuke yelled. Naruto wasn't moving; his head turned away, staring at the ground.

"Oh, my love." Sakura launched herself at the brunette. "I'm sorry I…"

"Stop it." He pushed her off him and strode over to Naruto.

He stopped in front of the blond and touched a tear on his cheek. Then he turned to face Sakura.

"I appreciate your concern." He leaned back into Naruto, grasped his hand and pulled a tan arm around his own chest. "However, I do not require your assistance."

Naruto reached down and grabbed the pants that had fallen to the ground and used the fabric to cover Sasuke as best he could. He then buried his head in pale shoulder blades.

Many emotions crossed her face, shock, horror, finally pain. With a sob, she turned and fled.

Sasuke turned and put his hand on a damp cheek.

"Naruto."

"I could be a monster. I don't want to be, but sometimes, I …" He looked into midnight eyes. "And I just want you so badly."

"Naruto," his voice gentle, Sasuke pulled him into an embrace and stroked the back of his head.

"Four clones. What was I thinking?" The bigger body shuddered. "You would have told me to stop, right? Did you tell me to stop?"

Sasuke pulled away and stepped back. "Naruto!" His tone was terse. "Make four clones. Hell, make ten."

Naruto stared at him for several seconds, and then, without hand signs, ten clones popped into existence.

"Grab me. All of you."

All ten clones timidly crowded around the brunette and tentatively reached out. "Grab me, damn it!"

Naruto watched as Sasuke narrowed his eyes and also, without hand signs, brought up a full body Chidori. All ten clones were gone in less than a second.

Naruto rushed him and pulled him into his arms.

"Sasuke." He buried his head in the dark strands. "Don't ever let me hurt you."

Sasuke wrapped his arms around the tan back and hugged him tight, wondering if the issue with Sakura was over for good.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kishimoto's pile of crap ending has pretty much taken the wind out of my sails, but these stories have already been written so I will continue to post and hope that Naruto fans enjoy it.
> 
> I believe that a large number of readers are girls, so I want to say my piece on his ending. I really hated watching Sakura, a hero in her own right, ending up a mindless housewife with a swiffer and a moody-ass kid.
> 
> But the worst, AWFUL, thing that I want to stress to young girls is about Kishimoto's comments during the recent interview in which he said that Sakura would be a "bad woman" if she had switched from Sasuke to Naruto. Basically, he's saying that even if a man is trying to KILL her, she is a 'bad woman' if she leaves the man. AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL. If he was in front of me, I'd punch him in his face.
> 
> I won't even go into the portrayal of Naruto, who was once an orphan crying for attention, neglecting his own children, telling them that he's busy now and to just suck it up. YUCK YUCK YUCK.
> 
> I am horrified to think that for 15 years, young people read about heroes and in the end come to learn that true heroes abuse their women and neglect their children.
> 
> I like my endings better.


	11. - Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At this point, 'All In' and 'Constellations' are still identical. If you've read one, you've read the other. That will change at Chapter 15...promise!

Sasuke sat on Naruto's chest and stroked himself. "Are you watching?"

Naruto nodded in rapt silence. He started to lift his hand and Sasuke slapped it away. "Uh uh. No touching. I want this to last longer than three seconds."

Naruto pouted for all of one second until the movement of Sasuke's fist up and down distracted him. He licked his lips.

"Stop that."

"But, Sasuke…" Naruto whined.

"You'll get your turn." He stroked himself several more times, his breath hitching. "I've been thinking about what you did before, about bringing ninja arts to bed."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"I'm not sure I can compete with you, but I, too, find myself inspired." He stopped for a second. "Now shut up and let me work here."

Naruto stilled and eagerly prepared to allow Sasuke to do whatever he wanted.

It was all he could do to keep his hands to himself and, indeed to keep from coming prematurely, when Sasuke finally found completion and came all over his chest and neck. "Sasuke, please."

The brunette swayed for several seconds, his hand wrapped limply around the base of his softening arousal.

Finally he looked down and eyed his handiwork lying in pools on the tan skin before him. He slid down and stretched out along the full length of Naruto's body. While resting his chin on one fist, he used the finger of his other hand to lazily trace through the puddles before him.

"Sasuke," Naruto whined again.

"Sh." Sasuke swiped a slippery finger across his lover's lips. It was enough to distract Naruto for several seconds.

As Naruto savored the taste and feel of his lover's release, Sasuke continued to rub his fingers in the white mess on Naruto's neck and chest. Sasuke made one final poke with a finger and Naruto's eyes flew wide open. His body had suddenly become lead.

"You fucking sealed me? With your cum? God _damn_ , but you're sneakier than a Rock Country Oinin."

Sasuke was no seal expert by any means, but he did know the one seal that Kabuto used in his surgery to keep his patients still so he could sew them up. Kabuto, the sadistic fuck, had used something that would restrain most ninja but not dull sensation. He'd known more than one ninja who'd had full blown, invasive surgery while completely conscious.

"Good thing I'm not the enemy. Although I don't suppose you'd find yourself in quite this position with the enemy."

"Actually, bastard, they were all enemies." Sasuke raised a brow. "Well, since they weren't Leaf," Naruto said, grinning, "technically, they were all enemies."

"All?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Is this a large number?"

"Large is such a relative term." Naruto grinned wider, relishing the opportunity to dish a bit of revenge for his current immobile state. "Speaking of relatives, I've been wondering if you don't have some out there somewhere."

Sasuke arched one eyebrow.

"Well, see, if we put all my…well, uh…anyway, if they were all in the same room, an observer might think they were at an Uchiha family reunion."

Sasuke leaned up. "And would this room be the size of our bathroom, or the Konoha meeting hall?"

"Er, well, I missed you a lot." Naruto grinned.

Sasuke raised a hand and shook his head. "I don't think I want to hear this. In fact, shut up."

"Dick."

"I have something else to ask." Sasuke crawled up so he could look down into Naruto's eyes, then he activated his Sharingan. "Let me in."

The smile fled the whiskered face. "No. Don't ask that."

"Why?"

"Kyuubi's in there. If something happened to you, it would kill me."

"Naruto, do you know why Orochimaru wanted my body? Specifically?" He watched Naruto bite his lip. "The Sharingan. Like half the universe, he wanted you, and knew that the Sharingan can control the demon."

"I do know that. Jiraiya told me."

"There you have it. The way I see it, we're made for each other. Now let me in. I'm not planning to engage him anyway. I've better things to do."

Naruto continued to gnaw on his lip. Sasuke speared his fingers through the silky hair and jerked the blond head backwards. Then he fastened his lips over a sensitive pulse point and sucked until Naruto was gasping and groaning.

"Let me in," he whispered.

"Huh?" When Sasuke looked at Naruto's eyes this time, they were unfocused.

"Look at me. I want to play."

"With my mind? That's not as sexy sounding as you might think, bastard."

He knew Naruto finally relented when the path in became clear to the tomoes in his eyes.

Faster than thought, Sasuke found himself inside Naruto's mind. The first thing of which he became aware, through every sense in his being, was the demon. The visualization of the seal presented itself as massive bars on a black, depthless cell. He studied it for a moment and then was surprised to hear a voice not Naruto's.

"An Uchiha. Delicious. Come closer," an impossibly low voice growled from beyond the barrier.

Sasuke flipped his middle finger in the direction of the cage and proceeded to look around. He wasn't sure exactly what he was looking for, but he hoped that with his blond's unwitting help, he'd find it.

Recently, a session of meditation was interrupted as his mind wandered to ways he could drive his lover crazy. When he'd remembered the mind-blowing experience with Naruto's chakra, he contemplated on how he could use his own ninja specialty in the bedroom. That's when he remembered what he'd learned about the limbic system in the brain and its role as a pleasure center.

The brain was something all Uchihas spent a fair amount of time studying since the Uchiha bloodline limit was in the eyes. Sasuke's study ended with the death of his family, but he had learned some things.

A trip to the family library and he read that parts of the limbic system played a role in sexual arousal. He also learned that electrical stimulation theoretically produced great pleasure. When he considered his ability to see the brain and his inborn skill with electricity, he decided that this whole process seemed made for him.

He was mildly bothered that this section of the book had a tattered ribbon marking its place and experienced a repulsed shiver when he imagined either of his parents finding this information interesting. Imagining Itachi's interest in it bothered him even more.

Now that he was in Naruto's mind, his plan was to keep the blond in a state of arousal and find the part of the brain that had the most activity. But as he reached his corporal hand, he found a decidedly deflated erection.

"Dobe, relax. It's fine."

"Are you sure? Is he bothering you?" Naruto asked in an anxious voice.

Sasuke growled and sent a gentle heat to his hand, using everything he'd learned about his lover to bring him back to hardness.

That was doing the trick. Naruto was panting now and he could see where he needed to go. A section ahead showed an increasing amount of electrical activity. While he kept his corporal hand busy, he studied the flickering mass before him. He reached out his visceral arm to the spot that seemed to be the center of the activity and stroked it with a finger. Naruto gasped again and almost closed his eyes.

"What the hell was that?"

"Did you like it?"

"Fuck, yeah."

"Good." Then Sasuke began to experiment with different spots and light touches of electricity. Soon Naruto was moaning continuously, and Sasuke thought he had the area mapped out fairly well for now.

Without breaking eye contact, he scooted forward and then lowered himself onto the now fully engorged length. He moved up and down several times until he found the angle and the speed that would best serve them both.

"Ack. Gods, are you trying to kill me?" Sasuke couldn't answer as he struggled to remain focused on his goal in spite of the sensation swamping his own brain.

Standing before the organ that was now vibrating, with flashes skittering across the surface and penetrating inward along the bright red arteries and bluish veins, he brought electricity to his hand and plunged it into what he had decided was the hypothalamus.

The reaction was instantaneous. Naruto howled and, breaking the seal, arched his body off the mattress. He grabbed Sasuke's hips in a bruising grip and held him pinned to his groin as he shuddered and jerked.

Sasuke was lying on Naruto just as they had started, his chin propped on one hand, the other playing with a pink nipple.

"Sasuke."

"Hm?"

"I love you."

Sasuke's mouth twitched. "That's just the endorphins talking."

"Yeah." At Sauke's raised brow he grinned. "And my dick. And my balls."

He traced the smirking lips. "And my heart. And my soul."

Sasuke licked the nipple nearest his mouth. "Does that mean all those are mine?"

Naruto pretended to frown. "The dick and balls, too?

"Especially those."

Naruto squirmed as Sasuke moved and sucked on the other nipple for a moment. "Tell you what, we can work out an arrangement. I'll come up with a sign-out system." He slid up and brushed Naruto lips with his own. "After all, I need them more than you do."

++

The incident Sakura witnessed in the forest pushed her a little over an edge. She waffled between absolute heartbreak over the loss of her beloved, to wondering if the situation was indeed what it had seemed to her and Sasuke was just protecting Naruto.

And if it wasn't, what was it? Male hormones? Surely nothing beyond lust; two people who cared about each other didn't beat each other into sexual encounters.

Then a thought occurred to her that made her lose sleep at night. Maybe Sasuke was afraid of Naruto. Maybe he was protecting the monster out of fear for his own safety.

She couldn't get it off her mind and found herself scanning the area for their chakra whenever she was out. She needed to see them together more to get a better understanding of the situation.

One thing was certain, if Naruto was mistreating her love…she clenched her fists until her gloves creaked…gods help him.

Sakura found many opportunities to watch the boys. They were always together and left the Uchiha district nearly every day for food shopping or training, and surprisingly, several times a week for tea at the same little tea house across town.

They could be seen walking side-by-side completely lost in conversation with each other. She would have been more resentful at the relaxed camaraderie that seemed to exist between them if not for the regular flair ups of…something, that she witnessed.

She watched them at the tea house from a distance. Sasuke sat across from Naruto, his look was intense. Naruto's head was dropped into his hands. Sasuke glared even harder. After several moments a small crash could be heard from farther inside the shop though she couldn't see what it was; the two males seemed to ignore it. Naruto's shoulders shook, and from the look on Sasuke's face, she suspected that the blond was crying.

After another moment, a feminine shriek was heard from elsewhere in the shop. Idly Sakura resolved to find a different tea shop for when she and Sasuke would eventually go out; this one obviously had vermin. She quickly dismissed this train of thought in favor of enjoying Naruto's obvious upset.

Just then the blond looked up and swiped at his red-rimmed eyes. He looked to be pleading with Sasuke, but dropped his head back into his hands at the absolutely venomous look from the brunette. Sasuke poked at the table viciously and Naruto nodded without looking up.

After another full minute during which Sasuke's face turned red and Sakura wondered why Naruto wasn't bursting into flames, the blond's head shot up. His eyes widened and then dropped closed while his fists clenched on the tabletop.

Finally he opened his eyes and glared at Sasuke, who now had a satisfied smirk on his face. Naruto slapped his hand on the tabletop and poofed out of site. Sasuke's smirk turned into a full-blown grin and he picked up his tea and sipped. He actually laughed aloud as Naruto poofed back, grabbed him by the elbow and poofed them both out of the teahouse.

Of course, if Sakura had been closer she wouldn't have been quite as satisfied over the exchange.

" _This'll be good practice. I'll put a chakra marker right here under me. See if you can trace a path through the water in the ground and find it." Naruto dropped his head into his hands and sent a spike of his chakra into the earth as a beacon for Sasuke to find._

_The brunette closed his eyes a moment to find his center and then opened them, ready to feel his way around the earth underneath them._

_A few seconds later, the teens heard a loud crash as Sasuke blew up a table on the other side of the shop. Naruto tried not to make his friend feel badly, but he couldn't help laughing at the ruckus twenty feet away._

_Sasuke poked the table. "Just stick the fucking marker back in the fucking ground and shut the fuck up!" He got an even more constipated look on his face and clenched his fists. Another several moments later and they heard a shriek from a lady sitting three tables away._

_As she looked around frantically for the source of the shock to her ass, Naruto was laughing so hard that tears were dripping from his chin. He chanced a glance from under his lashes and saw Sasuke glaring at him from across their table. "Concentrate. This would be really bad if you kill someone."_

_Sasuke face was transformed by the fiercest look yet and the table nearly vibrated with his effort. Suddenly Naruto's head shot up; Sasuke had found what he was looking for. In a travesty of Naruto's bedroom trick, Sasuke found a particularly sensitive part of the blond's anatomy and poked it with a sharp burst of his chakra. Second's later he caught the distinct aroma of sexual release._

" _Hey, bastard! What the hell?" Naruto frowned, trying to escape the wet spot in the front of his pants._

_Sasuke smirked._

" _Fine. Lesson's over." Naruto poofed home._

_Sasuke grinned and serenely picked up his tea cup. Two seconds later, he laughed as Naruto poofed back and jerked him up by the elbow and took them home for sweet revenge._

++

As Sakura continued to stalk the pair, she wondered if the two went to the teahouse to try to come to terms after a fight or when they were pissed at each other. The times she spied them there seemed the most antagonistic.

Like earlier today, they were sitting across from each other at a small outdoor table, and they were obviously arguing. Although she couldn't hear them, they were leaning toward each other, their eyes blazing.

Naruto stabbed his finger toward Sasuke. Sasuke crossed his arms and turned away, then abruptly turned back, poking his finger onto the table top. He continued by holding his hands up and ticking items off on his fingers.

Naruto looked triumphant for a moment until Sasuke tilted his head and said something else. Naruto slumped and Sasuke raised his arm and pointed down the road. The two got up and Naruto followed the brunette. After a moment he started making faces behind Sasuke's back. Sasuke whirled around and glared. He said something and Naruto rolled his eyes. After throwing his hands in the air, he grabbed his crotch and made a lurid gesture. Then the two were out of sight.

As with the other encounters, she would have been sorely disappointed if he had been privy to the conversation, as well.

" _I gave you the last two blow jobs."_

" _Yes, but you topped the last three times."_

" _No, I didn't."_

" _Yes, you did. The training grounds after lunch," Sasuke ticked on his fingers. "And this morning in bed."_

" _Ha, see twice."_

" _You've already forgotten the porch rail last night."_

_Naruto's face fell. "Oh, yeah."_

" _Now let's go." Sasuke pointed toward home. "You're a blow job behind."_

_Naruto followed and stuck his tongue out at the back of Sasuke's head._

" _I saw that." Sasuke whirled and poked Naruto in the chest. "For that, I'm topping tonight, too."_

_Naruto threw his hands in the air and rolled his eyes. "Fine, you know you can't handle this," he grabbed his crotch, "anyway."_


	12. - Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At this point, 'All In' and 'Constellations' are still identical. If you've read one, you've read the other. That will change at Chapter 15...promise!

The Twinkle sisters sent a message to Naruto. Their whole house was in an upset.

It seemed that, in some circles, word was spreading that Naruto would likely be the next Hokage. There was a sudden interest in the orphanage as a few shrewd, forward-thinking people realized that these orphans would be the Hokage's favored children. Two families had shown up looking to adopt a child and their only criterion was which ones Naruto liked best.

No one had shown interest before and the group had been enjoying living as a family for several years. The idea of being separated from each other upset everyone.

So the sisters had talked and wondered if Naruto would help them adopt all the children currently in residence at the orphanage.

Naruto had been so excited and had worked with Tsunade to put the necessary paperwork in place to continue his financial support until the children were grown. Sasuke had gone a step further and offered a building within the Uchiha neighborhood that they could make their home.

They were visiting the sisters with this offer when they noticed that Jomei was obviously unhappy.

"The sisters tell me that you're going to be a family," Naruto said to Jomei as the three males sat halfway up the tallest tree on the property.

"Yeah," he said unenthusiastically.

Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other, neither sure how to proceed in light of the boy's sullen answer.

After several moments, Jomei looked at Sasuke. "Where did you go when you ran away? What was it like?"

Sasuke felt sick at the thought of this small boy running away. "You don't want to stay here? Be part of the family?"

Jomei shrugged. "They want me to."

After a couple of minutes of silence during which Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other, one silently asking the other if he understood, anxiety filled Jomei's face. "They said I would be the man of the family."

"I see," Sasuke said, although he really didn't.

After another minute, Jomei spoke again. "Do I have to get a job? And fight mean guys?"

In his relief, Sasuke put his arm around the boy's shoulders. "When they asked you to be the man of the family, they didn't mean the father. They meant a brother."

That didn't seem to make the boy feel any better.

Naruto said, "You know families can have many men. Maybe I could be one in yours?"

Jomei's face lit. Relief was clear in his expression, so Naruto continued, pulling a scroll out of his weapons pouch.

"I'll take care of the job part and the mean guys and, for anything else, I'll give you this." He performed some hand seals and all three watched as a glow surrounded the rolled up paper for several seconds and then faded. "Every time you open this, a clone will appear to help you when I can't be here."

Jomei took the scroll and looked as though he might cry with relief.

"May I give you one, too? Be a part of your family?" Sasuke asked. He didn't think the boy would ever call on him over Naruto, but felt a need to be a part of this.

Jomei cocked his head and studied Sasuke for a moment, then held his hand out.

That very evening, Naruto found Sasuke standing on the porch staring at the ground, distracted.

"What's up?"

"Jomei called my clone."

"Really?"

Sasuke replayed the encounter for Naruto.

After locking himself in the bathroom, Jomei unrolled Sasuke's scroll.

"Is it hard to be a brother?" he asked as they sat on the tile, cross legged, facing each other.

"It's the easiest thing there is. Like breathing or blinking."

Jomei just looked at him.

"You know, nothing's changing. You've been a brother all along. When you hold Sari's hand as she walks down the steps. When you read to the boys. When you pull Mei's hair and hide her brush. Those are the things brothers do," Sasuke's clone continued. "What's important to remember is that, no matter what, this family will always love you."

After several minutes of silence, Jomei spoke again.

"Your brother killed your family, didn't he?"

Sasuke's clone nodded.

"Do you still love him?"

"Yes. I wish I understood what he did, but yes, I still do."

Jomei called Sasuke's clones several times over the next few weeks. As it turned out, Jomei felt a connection to Sasuke because they both had lost their families at about the same age. He saw Sasuke living a happy life after the loss and had endless questions about how Sasuke had gotten there, about how to move on.

Several times, Naruto found Sasuke with his eyes rimmed in red.

"Do you want me to ask him to stop calling you?"

"No!" Sasuke answered quickly.

Each time Jomei called on him, he thought of his own brother and the relationship they'd had. The Uchiha boys had been so close to each other up until the very morning of the massacre.

What he was developing with Jomei was a shadow of that, but even so, he couldn't imagine taking the road Itachi had taken.

And because he would never harm the small boy or his family, the doubts that had been growing inside him firmed. Was he so different from his brother, or was there more to Itachi's story?

He was surprised to find that these doubts, instead of frustrating him, were giving him peace. For years, when he took the evidence at face value, the world had seemed insane, and unfair, and unreliable.

Maybe, though, he just didn't have all the information and in fact, the world did still make sense and family could be counted on.

The only downside that Sasuke could see to this double duty he was pulling as both Naruto's family as well as Jomei's, was the new nickname that Naruto had for him.

"I am not a fucking marshmallow," Sasuke snapped.

"Okay," Naruto said, smiling gently as he pressed his lips to Sasuke's brow.

++

Sakura found them in the forest again.

As she crept up on them she was inordinately pleased to see that they were both completely clothed and that Naruto was flat on his back. Sasuke had his knee on Naruto's chest and his palm on the blond forehead. Naruto attempted to raise his head but Sasuke growled and shoved it back onto the ground.

She flushed and her breath caught when Sasuke straddled Naruto and used his other hand to free his erection. He leaned down until it brushed Naruto's lips.

"Suck!"

Naruto clamped his lips together.

"Open up now!" Sakura could feel Sasuke's chakra levels rise threateningly from where she sat.

Naruto barely had his lips apart when Sasuke flexed his hips and thrust. The blond narrowed his eyes and Sakura saw the whites of his teeth.

Sasuke gripped the blond hair and growled again. "Bite me and I'll Chidori your ass from here to next Tuesday."

Naruto must have relented because Sasuke resumed thrusting. The prone teen struggled slightly and coughed a couple of times as Sasuke thrust past his gag reflex, but the brunette didn't seem to care about Naruto's comfort or lack thereof. He just pumped his hips and jerked the head in his hands in a quick rhythm.

Finally the blond whimpered and thrust his own hips.

"I'm busy here. Take care of yourself." Naruto closed his eyes and reached into his own pants. He began stroking himself and his moans joined Sasuke's harsh panting.

After several minutes of grunting and snarling, Sasuke pulled out of Naruto's mouth. He yanked the blond head forward with one hand and stroked himself to completion with the other, shooting strings of white fluid all over the whiskered face in his grasp.

Sakura watched as Naruto finished his own ministrations and the two poofed out of the clearing.

She sat back in contemplation. What she had just witnessed was crude, violent and from her vantage point, without feeling.

Certainly she had been aware of encounters like this over the years; more than she cared to, in fact. But she acknowledged that she was in a male world, and more, a male world built on a foundation of violence.

Actually there was damned little tenderness to be found. She and Ino had shed many tears together as they despaired of ever living the stuff of their teenage girl daydreams. Certainly none of the males of her acquaintance seemed remotely capable of filling these fantasies.

Except Sasuke, of course. He'd always been different. She could never recall him being crass or insensitive to her female sensibilities. Of course she had not seen him in years, but could not imagine him taking a piss in her presence, or talking about his sexual conquests in front of her as if she wouldn't mind hearing a spirited debate about the virtues of a blow job over a tight pussy.

But now she began to get an inkling that maybe Sasuke was, in some ways, a real guy after all. And maybe real guys needed other guys on whom they could vent their baser urges, allowing them to treat their women with more tenderness.

She admitted to herself that having Sasuke yank her head around by the hair, fucking her mouth until she choked and then coming all over her face had no appeal. It certainly wasn't an act of love, or even, for that matter, of affection. That much was abundantly clear in the encounter she had just witnessed.

She assured herself that if she gave Sasuke the time to take out whatever aggression he harbored, probably rooted in his relationship with Itachi, on the idiot blond, it wouldn't be long before he was free of his demons and would desire the softness a woman, namely Sakura, could provide.

++

Naruto and Sasuke leaned side by side against the largest tree, sharing a canteen of water.

Sasuke had his head back against the bark while Naruto used a small twig to scratch light spirals into the dry skin of his thigh.

"You gonna tell me?"

Sasuke sighed and tilted his head in Naruto's direction. He shrugged, knowing it was useless to tell his friend that there was nothing to tell.

Naruto nodded. "It's okay either way. But I want you to know that there's nothing you can tell me that'll make me..." He lifted one shoulder.

"Itachi's closer."

Naruto nodded.

"What if," Sasuke tried to clear the tightness in his throat, "what if I don't want to kill him anymore?"

Naruto lifted one shoulder. "Then don't."

"It's just that, what I really want is..." He hesitated.

"Answers?" Naruto supplied.

"How did you know that?"

"It's what I'd want." Naruto shrugged. "None of it makes any sense. I remember what you had with him. He was devoted to you. I'd want to know what could make a devoted brother do what he did."

Sasuke had turned and was leaning sideways on the trunk of the tree, facing his companion. "I really thought he was. Devoted that is. It was like a switch was flipped."

He moved again and was now pulling blades of grass from the ground one at a time. "What happened to him? And why did he really leave me alive? To kill him? What sense does that make? If he wants to be dead, he certainly doesn't need me to accomplish it. What if...what if it's all wrong and there's stuff I don't know. Maybe something terrible happened to him. Hell, maybe he didn't really even do it."

Naruto leaned his head back. "So what do you want to do?"

"Talk to him." Pale hands tried to stab the blades back into the ground. "Maybe I was just too young and remember wrong and he always was just an evil, insane bastard. But maybe there's something more."

He turned to his friend, hands up in supplication. "I don't have anyone else to ask."

Naruto joined their right hands, twining their fingers and pulled Sasuke to lean back against his chest.

"Then we'll find a way to talk to him."

++

Sakura wondered if it was the outdoor air that made these two fuck like rabbits, violent rabbits, in the forest.

The two were rolling around on the ground in the woods again. Naruto had a split lip; Sasuke's shirt was in shreds hanging off of one arm.

Finally the two were naked. Sasuke was straddling the blond, pinning his hands over his head. He was saying something, but Sakura was too far away to hear it. Then he bent down and licked the drops of blood on Naruto's lip. That became a kiss. And then another kiss, and then Sasuke slid down until he was lying along the full length of the body beneath him.

Sakura was transfixed as she watched the scene, somehow different this time.

Naruto rolled until Sasuke was beneath him, keeping their mouths together. He tilted his head, deepening the kiss, moaning as slender fingers tangled in his hair.

Sasuke pulled his legs from under Naruto and wrapped them around the firm ass. He arched his back trying to deepen their connection. "Do it." He ground up into the hard flesh of the other male. "Now."

Naruto moved to put fingers in his mouth, but found himself on his back again. "No, now."

And with that Sasuke slid down, coated the hard length with saliva and then slid back up and impaled himself onto the shaft between his thighs. He gasped and threw his head back. "I need you now."

He rode Naruto for several strokes, watching ecstasy transform the beloved face below him. Then he leaned again, rolling himself to the bottom.

"Make the world go away."

Naruto thrust slowly, his eyes locked with Sasuke's. Then he drew his knees up under him, sat up and pulled Sasuke up into his arms. He grabbed the muscled flanks, his fingers digging into the taut cheeks of the pale ass. He moved the hips in his hands in a tight, controlled, rolling motion, single mindedly looking for just that angle that would swamp his beloved in sensation.

Finally, when Sasuke was a quivering, moaning mass, hovering on the brink of release, a blond clone appeared, kneeling into the pale back. The clone wrapped his arms around Sasuke from behind and leaned him back into his chest, not breaking the other connection. He rubbed his palms up and down the hard torso, while Naruto brought chakra to his hands. When he had the color and quantity that he wanted, he reached both hands down to the hard length between them. He placed one hand high and one low and watched with greedy eyes as Sasuke arched his back and cried out. Naruto kept a gentle motion until his lover was slumped against his clone.

Sasuke opened his eyes and moved them sluggishly to the tanned face at his neck. Then he grasped the back of the clone's neck and pressed their mouths together.

Naruto's eyes widened and his gut clenched. Watching his lover lazily tangle tongues with the clone was the most erotic thing he'd ever seen and his balls tightened almost painfully as his orgasm hit him like a bolt of lightning.

After several minutes of gentle petting, the clone leaned forward, pushing Sasuke into the arms of the original. Naruto and Sasuke were both swaying unsteadily, so he put his arms around them both for several seconds. Sasuke's head was on Naruto's shoulder and both were gazing at the clone, their eyes unfocused. The clone leaned in and lazily kissed each one before poofing out of existence.

Sasuke finally leaned back slightly, his arms around a strong neck.

"You make me happy."

Naruto's smile outshone the sun.

"And I'd give my last drop of blood to see you smile like that every day." Sasuke ran a finger across Naruto's smiling lips. "Live with me.”

"I already do."

"No. Live with me always." He nuzzled his cheek against Naruto’s. "Stay with me after the six months are up. Be my lover, my friend, my family. Help me make that house our home. Stay. Forever.

"I love you." He pressed his lips to Naruto's then whispered again, "Stay."

Naruto buried his face in Sasuke's neck.

Sakura had crept close enough to hear this exchange. There was no mistaking it now. She didn't know how Naruto had done it, but it seemed that Sasuke was in love with him.

Her heart lying in a million pieces in her breast, she bolted from the scene and fled, across Konoha, over the gates and beyond the surrounding forest. She didn't know where she was going; she just knew that she needed to run.

Because her chakra was still invisible, no one in all of Konoha knew she'd left.

++

Naruto laughed out loud at his handiwork. He couldn't remember the last time he'd pulled a prank and this one was a dandy; Sasuke was going to have a coronary.

This would teach Sasuke to just open his house to Naruto and tell him to treat it as his home. With the help of thirty clones, nearly every paintable surface in the house was an aneurysm-inducing shade of orange. And after a quick rummage through the box of things from his apartment, the bedding and the rug were also orange.

Suddenly he heard Sasuke coming down the hall. He flung himself onto the bed and tried to look as though he was nonchalantly flipping through a book.

The door slid open and Naruto turned a page. "Hey bastard. What's up?"

"Not much." Sasuke strode in and stopped at the bedside. "Whatcha been up to?"

"Oh, nothing. You?" Naruto said, suppressing his snickers.

"Nothing much." Sasuke said. "New picture frame?"

He picked up Naruto's photo of team seven, the frame of which was a retina searing orange.

Naruto bit the inside of his cheek and flipped another page. "No."

"Something's different," Sasuke said as he reached over, turned Naruto's book right side up and replaced it in the orange splattered hands. "New haircut?"

"Aw, you're no fun."

Sasuke crawled onto the mattress and slid his hand into the front of Naruto's pants. "I'm not?"

"Ok, well, you're actually lots of fun." Naruto tossed the book aside and slid into a prone position. Sasuke moved to straddle him and then aligned their groins. Naruto hardened under him immediately.

"I'll change the house back later," he said in a husky growl as his hands worked their way under Sasuke's shirt.

"Only if you want to." Sasuke pulled Naruto's shirt over his head. "I only see one thing when I'm in here with you."

"You're such a romantic fucker." Naruto grinned.

Later, when Sasuke woke from an ejaculate-induced doze, he turned to find his blond sprawled on his stomach, his legs tangled in so much hideous orange.

He couldn't help but smile as he sifted silky blond strands through his fingers. He couldn't remember ever feeling such eagerness to see what each day would bring. Naruto, unpredictable, effervescent, exhilarating and hotter than a fucking Ryūka no Jutsu, brought so much, well, life, into his life.

People thought Uchihas understood fire, but Sasuke had known nothing of fire until Naruto filled his life with it. Each day burned bright and hot. And each morning brought a brand new, wondrous landscape.

As he looked around at the orange walls, he knew that even if they put the room back exactly as it had been, Naruto had send his personal ghosts screaming into the night.


	13. - Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At this point, 'All In' and 'Constellations' are still identical. If you've read one, you've read the other. That will change at Chapter 15...promise!

Sakura couldn’t believe what she was seeing; Itachi, sitting propped against a tree across the clearing. She tested the air with her chakra. Yes it was an Uchiha, but he was very weak.

She crept toward him, startling at every rustle or creak, fear of the mass murderer almost stopping her altogether.

“Come on. You have no need to be afraid,” he said. “I couldn’t hurt you if I wanted to, which I don’t.”

She finally summoned enough courage to reach his side and squat before him.

“You’re a Konoha ninja,” he stated.

“Y…yes. I am.” She leaned to look at his ashen face. “I’m Haruno Sakura.”

He tilted his head in her direction and raised an eyebrow. “Well, that’s interesting. And fortuitous.” He sat up further. “You were part of Team Seven, yes?”

She nodded, still on alert.

“Sasuke’s in the village?”

She nodded again.

He slumped back against the tree, wheezing, his facing losing even more color. “I really wanted to see him again. To tell him…to ask him, beg him…” He coughed letting loose a spray of blood.

“I could…”

“There’s not enough time,” he interrupted. “So I’m going to press you for a favor. Nee, Sakura? You do this for Sasuke? For me?”

“But what can I do?” Her fear had disappeared as she felt him barely holding onto the little bit of life in him.

“I once did something like this to Naruto and from his reaction I think he thought it was fairly disgusting,” he grinned, “but if I remember correctly, you love Sasuke and would withstand this small discomfort for him.”

“Yes, oh yes, anything,” she said earnestly. “I can. I will.”

“Have you had lunch?” He chuckled and Sakura just frowned. Then next thing she knew she was choking on a mouth full of feathers.

After many minutes of choking and struggling for breath around something large lodged in her throat, she opened her eyes to find she was on her back and Itachi was poking her in the side.

“What…” she gasped.

“Memories,” he whispered. “The truth. He needs…” Itachi fell into his own coughing fit. “I think maybe it’s a good idea, that…he should know,” his voice faded until she had to lean in to hear the rest.

“What do I do?”

“Just tell…he’ll…know…” Itachi never finished his sentence and from the opaque film over his open eyes, she knew he was gone.

She crawled over to sit by him, facing him. She studied his face and traced a finger over his jaw, his brow, his cheek. Yes, he was definitely an Uchiha. So handsome and even in death, one could see that he had possessed extraordinary intelligence. Even in death the power and grace he had possessed was clear.

What were the memories? She turned her thoughts inward to see if she could access what he had given to her. They were not where she could reach them. But…there was…something.

She prodded and poked with her mind, trying find this new thing that pulsed in her brain aligning itself with her heartbeat, twining around her chakra pathways. Then her thoughts collided with something that wasn’t there before and there was a low level boom in her skull that didn’t hurt exactly but could be felt through her whole body.

She opened her eyes to the strangest landscape she’d ever seen, the sky a swirl of oranges and greens, shot through with rods of black and jagged glittering gray clouds.

And before her, on the jewel-like ground that wavered between thought and dream, stood Itachi, in all his warrior’s glory, poised, alert.

But, hadn’t she just watched him… Before she could finish that thought he whirled in her direction, chidori forming in his hand. Her ninja training kicked in and she sent all her chakra to her fists, but just as she dropped into a fighting stance, Itachi’s chidori faded and he burst into laughter.

“Aren’t you a lucky girl?” He tilted his head. “Or maybe you’re cursed.”

“You’re…” She looked at the tree where his body had been and it was…still there.

“Hmm, I wonder what a Haruno will do with the Uchiha ability of genjutsu?” He smirked, an odd morphing twist of lips. “Perhaps your head will explode.”

She looked around this world and wondered, had she created this?

“Are you a good girl, Haruno Sakura?” She just stared. “There is a saying that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Do you know what that means?” She still just stared and he burst into more laughter.

She grasped out as he started to fade. “One would think,” he laughed uproariously, “that a genius such as me wouldn’t make so many damned mistakes.” Just as he became part of the mist, she heard him say, “Good luck, Konoha.”

It took quite a bit of effort to get herself out of her genjutsu world, but by the time she had regained her position sitting next to Itachi’s body, she’d learned a lot about controlling it.

Sasuke…she needed to go see him. She felt a bubble of excitement, which quickly dissipated as she looked at Itachi’s body. Could this backfire on her? Was there any way she could be blamed for this? She didn’t kill Itachi, but she also didn’t make any serious effort to give Itachi and Sasuke time together.

She felt uneasy, knowing how sensitive Sasuke was about his brother. Did he love Itachi? Did he hate Itachi? How would he take his brother’s death? Suddenly she was afraid. Sasuke seemed to be very unhappy with her since he got back, all his affection aimed at the fucking Naruto. If only Sasuke’s rage could be directed at him…

If only Sasuke’s rage could be directed at Naruto? What if… She looked around the clearing and thought. Was there a way?

After pacing a circle for half the morning, she had made a list of her resources. She had Itachi’s body. And thanks to the grace of her gods, she had an unexpected bonus, the ability to do genjutsu, at least as much as she could do without the Uchiha bloodline limit. It was not as much as Sasuke, but more than most everyone else in the village. And she had her brain, which, since she’d studied hard as a young girl, contained the hand signs for several Uchiha techniques.

Now she sat near his body, going over her plan once more to calm her nerves. Finally satisfied with her course of action, she dragged Itachi’s body into the clearing, dusted herself off, masked her chakra once again and headed back to Konoha.

She staked out the Uchiha district looking for an opportunity to get Naruto alone. It didn't take long. Several times a day, he made a circuit of the compound, making sure the area was still secure. When she thought he was far enough away from the main house and Sasuke, she dropped to the ground behind him.

Before he even realized someone was behind him, she performed the seals for the Bringer-of-Darkness technique and then poofed them to the area by Itachi's body. Then she performed the seals for the next genjutsu, the Hell-Viewing technique. Since Naruto was such a dolt she thought it would be sufficient.

Naruto found himself recovering from slight disorientation. He shook his head to clear it and discovered that he was just beyond the forest outside Konoha. Before him, stood Uchiha Itachi, his cloak folded around him.

"Itachi? What…? Did you bring me here?"

"Yes. It is time for me to retrieve the Nine-tails."

'Wait, what about Sasuke?"

"What about him?"

"He wants to talk to you. He's in the village. Let me get him and then you and I can sort the rest of this out after. I'll…I'll even come with you if you'll talk to him."

Itachi stood silent for several moments, saying nothing. Naruto took the opportunity to continue his urging.

"Please, Itachi. Just talk to him. He has so many questions. He doesn't want to fight you anymore."

"Enough! Don't concern yourself over my brother any longer. I am here for the demon." He flipped his cloak open, revealing Sakura in his grasp. "You will come quietly, or I will kill the girl."

Naruto's face paled. "Sakura-chan."

"Naruto, help me. Don't let him kill me."

"Let her go, you bastard."

He watched as Sakura dropped to the ground and then rolled to the side. He leapt toward Itachi, but when he got there, the Uchiha was gone, heading once again for Sakura.

"Stay away from her." He leapt again. Again, both Sakura and Itachi were in different locations and Itachi was still focused on the girl.

This went on for some time until Naruto finally managed to land some blows on the older Sharingan user. Naruto thought they should have knocked him out, but he just kept standing right back up, heading toward the Sakura again.

"What the fuck is your problem? Fight me, damn it. Leave her alone." Naruto was beginning to feel panic. Itachi should have been down ten times by now, but the bastard just kept getting back up. Naruto kept hitting him harder and harder each time, but so far, with no effect.

As the fight went on, he was using every tai-jutsu trick and every nin-jutsu he knew. But the Uchiha prodigy remained unfazed and just kept going after Sakura. Even the sage techniques and toad katas were failing.

Until finally, he felt he had no choice. He leapt in between Sakura and Itachi one last time, and called forth Kyuubi. Not a lot; one tail. But it was enough to bring hellish heat to within a three-foot radius of his body. He heard Sakura screaming as the skin started to boil off Itachi's body. Just as the body of the Uchiha started to fall over, Naruto felt his own consciousness fade.

The last thing he saw was Tsunade, Sasuke and Sakura, her clothing on fire, clutching at her face.

+++

Sasuke paced in the prison hallway, waiting for Tsunade to allow him to see Naruto. It would be some time before Sakura would be able to have visitors.

He couldn't believe this village would imprison Naruto for calling up Kyuubi. They wanted it for their ultimate weapon, their shield against all foes, but the minute he used it to save his own life, they slapped chakra inhibitors on him and put him in a reinforced cell. Hell, he used it against Konoha's number one enemy protecting one of the citizens.

He clutched at his hair and dropped his forehead on the rock wall before him.

He couldn't believe it. Itachi was dead. Naruto killed him. Why was Sakura there? None of this made sense. More unanswered, now unanswerable, questions surrounding his family's legacy. He kicked the wall in front of him in frustration.

"He doesn't want to see you." Tsunade had silently turned the corner and was standing a few feet away.

"What?" He was dumbfounded. "Why?"

"He killed your brother. Can you not figure that out?"

"Does he think I'd deny him his own life? Does he think I would want him to let Itachi kill him? Or unleash Kyuubi on the world?"

She shrugged. "You know how he is."

"Yes, damn it. Now let me see him so I can fix this."

She studied him for several long moments, then tossed him the keys. "Okay. Do your best. God knows I didn't get anywhere."

He started down the hall, and then stopped. "Sakura. Will she be alright?"

"Yes, although I may not be able to reverse all of the scarring. Burns are difficult. Much of the skin is dead, although, she covered her face so most of the scarring will be on her hands and on her torso where her clothing was on fire." She sighed tiredly.

"I'm afraid pretty girls like her take these things harder than they should."

Sasuke nodded and looked at the floor a moment. Then he bowed at the honey-eyed woman and went in search of Naruto's cell.

+++

"Damn her. What are you doing here?" Naruto turned away once he realized who was at his cell.

When Sasuke produced keys, opened the cell door and stepped inside, he continued, "For fuck's sake, doesn't anyone care what I want around here?"

"Shut up." He stalked over to Naruto, but stopped when the blond flinched as though preparing to be hit.

He slowly moved forward until he was within a foot and Naruto had himself pressed against the wall, his eyes closed and his face turned to the side.

"I'm so sorry," Naruto whispered. "I asked him, I _begged_ him to talk to you first. I told him he could even have me if he would just answer your questions."

He opened his eyes, anguish clear on his face. "I don't know what was wrong with him. He just kept going after Sakura. I couldn't make him stop."

He closed his eyes again and whispered, "It doesn't make any sense."

Next he felt himself wrapped in a warm embrace and Sasuke was whispering near his ear, "I'm so sorry you had to face him alone. Why did you go without me?"

"I didn't. I wouldn't." Naruto couldn't help nuzzling the neck before him. If this was the last time he would be close to his love, he wasn't going to waste it. "One second I was at the gate checking the perimeter and the next I was in the field where you found us. I don't know how I got there. He said he brought me there. Must be some new Akatsuki trick I don't know. Probably used the same trick to get Sakura that far away from the village."

He buried his head in Sasuke's neck again and choked out, "I'm so sorry. I don't want you to forgive me. I don't deserve it. I should have figured…"

"I told you to shut up." Sasuke's voice was gentle as he threaded his fingers through blond strands. "Yes, I wanted to talk with him. But there was no guarantee that he would have talked with me. It was likely that he would have tried to kill me, too. And," he leaned back and gripped Naruto's jaw in his hand, "I would never trade your life for a conversation with anyone." He kissed him gently. "I wouldn't trade your life for my own."

They held each other for several minutes, Sasuke soothing and reassuring Naruto. Then he stepped back and lifted thick hands up for inspection. He studied the cuffs designed to hold back all chakra in the teen's body and sighed.

"Let's see what can be done about these."

+++

"Let the record show that the chakra signature of Kyuubi no Youko, the Nine-Tailed fox demon was present within Konoha proper on yesterday's date."

Sasuke's mind was racing. If this went badly, he'd have to act. While one part of his mind listened intently to the proceedings of the Go-Ikenban, another part was devising an escape plan.

"Let the record further show that one Konoha citizen was seriously injured and another Konoha citizen killed by the demon and its vessel."

Sasuke's thoughts came to a screeching halt and he felt bile rise in his throat. This was insane. He had some idea that the council wasn't fond of the demon and by extension, Naruto, but this? They would actually side with Itachi over Naruto?

"Uchiha Sasuke, we offer our condolences for your loss." As Homura Mitokado spoke, Koharu Utatane tsked and shook her gray head.

Fear was a congealed lump in his gut, but he kept his face impassive. He cast a glance at Tsunade, whose face was also an expressionless mask, and then at Naruto. The blond stood in the middle of the room. The floor around him was painted with every conceivable external seal and chakra inhibiting cuffs encircled his wrists, ankles and neck. His head hung in utter desolation. Sasuke wanted to weep.

"Finally, the council has decided that Uzumaki Naruto will wear the inhibitors and remain in residence in the high security section of Konoha prison until such time as his services are required."

Sasuke felt the room sway. Gods, they were putting Naruto in prison. He looked at the seals on the floor and estimated the distance they would need to travel and how quickly in order to affect an escape. All of this was assuming Naruto would cooperate and that the Godaime didn't interfere too strenuously.

He decided to play one last card before taking the more extreme measures. He pulled forth every arrogant Uchiha gene he could muster, and then strolled casually to the stand in front of Naruto. Instead of bowing before the council, he crossed his arms and raised one finely arched brow.

"And what about me?"

"Uchiha-san?" The council members bowed their heads and then looked at each other.

"Well?" He snapped and narrowed his eyes.

"I offer our most sincere apologies, but I'm afraid we do not understand."

"Four small words comprising a question. Is it really so difficult?" He secretly blessed his family for surrounding him with pretension and self-importance in his youth. Whatever he was doing was causing both council members to squirm and look uncomfortably at each other.

"Uzumaki Naruto was given to me for my protection and amusement during my reintroduction. Are you really going to make me bring in the document containing your signatures?" Naruto's head shot up. "I was not involved in this, yet now you are taking away something that is clearly, contractually mine."

"Uchiha-san…"

"I'll make this simple. You gave him to me. He is mine. Give him back." He then let the Sharingan activate so they could see the tomoes spinning lazily in his eyes. Let them be reminded of that which they prized so highly. "At once."

The two elderly statespersons asked for a short recess and left the room. As soon as they were gone, Sasuke slumped and propped himself up with his hands on his knees. Tsunade was at his side in a moment and pulled him into her arms.

"Brilliant." She kissed his forehead. Then both turned to Naruto who was still staring at the floor but now had tears dripping from his chin.

"Naruto."

"Dobe."

"I'm just a thing here." He looked at them through red rimmed eyes.

Sasuke stepped up to him and gripped his chin. "Do you know why they're going to give this to me?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Because I'm a thing here, too." He shrugged. "You're a demon vessel. I'm a Sharingan user. Both of us are ninja. We're both weapons and shields; tools. We're nothing more than the advantages we give."

"They don't trust me." He looked at Sasuke. "After…everything, they trust you, but not me."

"They don't trust me either. They just know they can't push me like they think they can push you. They know you would sit quietly in prison and still protect this village when they need you. They know I'd blow the fucking prison off Konoha's map and shove the rubble up their collective ass."

"Naruto, Sasuke's right." Tsunade squeezed both of their shoulders. "If you're waiting for this council to care about you, you're going to wait the rest of your life. They're part of the job. What will give your life meaning are the one or two personal bonds you can find outside of your shinobi life."

Tsunade watched Sasuke move into Naruto's space and link their hands together. For several seconds, she was certain they had forgotten she was there and the looks of longing and…desire...she saw on their faces brought a flush to her cheeks.

Naruto wore his adoration openly on his face. Sasuke's own expression was a sharply focused hunger. She could almost taste the pheromones coming off the two teens as Sasuke moved close enough so that their chests touched.

"They don't know you, Dobe," Sasuke murmured. "No one in this village knows you."

"Except you?" Naruto whispered.

"Except me." Sasuke nodded. He leaned in just slightly closer, but stopped when Tsunade cleared her throat.

Naruto sniffed and reached a finger out to brush Sasuke's arm. "When'd you get so smart?"

"I'm a genius." Sasuke pushed dingy blond locks off a soot covered forehead.

"I hope so," he sighed. "If I have to spend the rest of my life in prison…"

"I won't let that happen."

"Nor will I," Tsunade added.

Just then the door opened and the council returned. It turned out that the council had more balls than Sasuke hoped, but only slightly. Naruto would return to the Uchiha district, but the wrist cuffs would remain for now.

It seemed they were willing to appease the Uchiha by returning the vessel to him, but were still anxious to vent their spleens on Naruto. He was to be blocked from all of the demon chakra and most of his own. And it was his own problem as to how he was supposed to protect Sasuke and keep his skills up within those limitations.


	14. - Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the last common chapter. After this each story goes off in completely different directions. Hope it doesn't make anyone's head explode. 
> 
> Review and comments always welcome.

Sakura woke to murmuring and the sound of someone crying.

"I did this to her."

"You saved her life."

"I just thought she was farther away. What the fuck is wrong with me? This kind of mistake..."

"Dobe, you know how things happen in the heat of battle."

"I know, but..."

She drifted way on a medicated cloud.

The next time she woke, her mind slightly sharper, the same voices were nearby.

"I think your decision to bury him in the Uchiha family cemetery is really great. I'm proud of you."

"Until I know differently, I'm going with my instinct that there was something more and give him the benefit of the doubt."

"I know I keep saying it, but I really am sorry you won't get to ask him the questions you have."

"I've been thinking about that. It seems unlikely that there isn't somebody else..."

She drifted again.

The next time she surfaced, she managed to open her eyes enough to look around the room.

Sasuke and Naruto were present again...still? They were standing against the wall, foreheads pressed together. One was fingering dark strands, the other caressing whisker-like scars with the pad of one finger. Their voices were quiet enough that she couldn't hear them.

As coherence and memory slipped back into her head, one thing was clear; Sasuke did not hate Naruto for killing Itachi.

At the realization, she gasped in pain.

+++

The next days were agonizing for Sakura; at times the pain was almost too much.

But then the day came when she happened to be awake when a medic came to change her dressing. She nearly vomited at the sight of her own body. Her hands were a nauseating patchwork of blackened globules of fat and stringy muscle punctuated with ulcers that reached to the bones now exposed by the sloughing of charred dead skin. Her medical training told her that grafts would be needed.

But the skin of her torso where her tunic was in flames was worse. Fourth degree burns; she wondered how she had survived. The flesh from her shoulders to the tops of her legs was angry red and white with black charred sheets of skin partially peeled from her body; she had no feeling on most of her abdomen.

And her breasts...were gone.

She screamed her anguish to the four walls.

The next time Naruto and Sasuke came to her room, the only thing she could think was that she hated Naruto with all her being. She had been a pretty girl; everyone had said so. But now, _now_ , that which made her a woman, was gone. Tsunade had reassured her that there were procedures that would restore much of her looks and shape, although she would never have the flawless skin and figure she'd had.

That useless demon holder had taken everything from her, her looks, her future and, because she knew there was no use fooling herself, her beloved Sasuke. It had become clear to Sakura as she observed her two ex-teammates; Sasuke was not going to leave Naruto. He was strong, single minded, possessive and he wanted Naruto.

Clearly, Naruto had to go.

+++

Naruto had to go. Upon consideration, that didn't seem possible. She was in no condition now to engage the blond. And even on her best days, she didn't see how she could ever win a fight against him. And anyway, Sasuke would hate her beyond measure if she killed Naruto.

But, still, Naruto had to go.

Using her infirmity as a shield, Sakura used the next days to observe Naruto. She lie still quite often, feigning sleep or the disorientation of being medicated, studying the blond, looking for weaknesses.

It didn't take long for her to spot a giant one; the cuffs. But she needed information, and the best way to get it was from Naruto himself.

She remembered another lesson taught to her by Tsunade; ' _keep your friends close, and keep your enemies closer_.' For the second time in the last weeks, she silently thanked the older woman for the shared wisdom.

Determined to right the wrongs in her life, the next time she woke to Naruto and Sasuke in her room, she repeated to herself, ' _keep your enemies closer,_ ' then held her hand out to the blond.

When he tentatively grasped the tips of her fingers, she smiled gently up at him and whispered, "You saved my life. Thank you, Naruto."

He collapsed to his knees, his head dropping to the edge of the mattress. His body shook with relieved sobs. As he choked out, "Oh, Sakura-chan," Sasuke bent down and pressed his lips to her forehead and held them there for several long seconds, caressing the hair at her temple.

Her smile was brilliant and her joyful tears were sincere.

+++

 _Keep your friends close. Keep your enemies closer_. Sakura latched onto this to keep from screaming her rage at the loathsome blond whenever he showed up in her room. The notion satisfied her need for revenge while giving her a focus that kept everyone from realizing the depths of her hatred for Naruto. It gave her the sense that she was outsmarting everyone.

One thing she did know, if she had to watch Naruto put his hands on Sasuke for even one more second, she didn't know if she could control herself in their presence. It had taken all of her extra strength to keep a serene smile on her face, striving to give the impression that she thought the image they portrayed was adorable.

This pattern continued for weeks as she recovered and then as the pair left at the end of one day, she decided it was time to act. She had several things going for her. The fact that she was presumed to be bed ridden paired with the fact of Naruto's cuffs, not to mention her newly acquired genjutu skill, inspired her to engage a hastily made plan. As a lifelong resident, she knew just which residents could be counted on to stir up a frenzied mob with the right motivation.

Plan finally forming, the next time she woke to Naruto and Sasuke in her room, she repeated to herself, ' _keep your enemies closer,_ ' and then held her hand out to the blond.

Her resolved solidified as this action caused Sasuke to take her other hand and press it carefully to his lips.

Tomorrow Sasuke would be hers.

+++

"I didn't realize you actually own the orphanage property." Sasuke leaned against one arm of the couch, flipping through some papers in his lap.

"It was the only way I could maintain the place the way I think it should be maintained." Naruto shrugged. They were both in their boxers, relaxing for the evening. He had one of Sasuke's feet in his hands and was digging his thumbs into the arch, basking in the simplicity of being in each other's company.

Sasuke nodded. "I guess we need to find new caretakers? There aren't any orphans now, but that…"

Naruto sat up abruptly, his entire body tense.

"What it is?" Sasuke could almost taste the tension radiating off his friend.

Naruto threw Sasuke's foot out of his lap and headed toward the door. "Stay!"

Sasuke grabbed his arm. "No fucking way." And he started toward the door behind Naruto.

"I told you to stay!" Naruto yelled. Sasuke found himself flying backward and then he was pinned to the floor. He was astounded when he couldn't get up.

"Naruto, don't you dare leave without me!" Sasuke shouted to what was now an empty room.

Fear filled him as he struggled to figure out why he couldn't get up from the floor. He had never intended for Naruto to protect him, ever; especially now that the blond was wearing the cuffs. Even Sasuke could feel the barest trickle of chakra flowing through Naruto.

Sasuke tried to remain calm and figure out why he couldn't move. As he tested his limbs and sent his chakra throughout his body and then the floor under him, he growled in anger. It seemed that Naruto hadn't taught him all his secrets. He had no idea how to undo this. He didn't even know if it was his body that was affected or whether he was being held in place by an outside force.

As he sensed the malice and agitation in the dozens of signatures outside his door, he howled his rage, "Narutooo!"

Just outside the Uchiha gates, Naruto found a fair sized crowd made up of villagers he'd known his whole life. He'd had trouble with most of them at one point or another, but never as a group. Now they were here as a mob, each holding some sort of weapon, although most were just average kitchen blades and household tools.

"Hey?" He wished he was standing amongst these people in more than his boxers. If he wasn't careful, they were going to see the tattoo on his back. Acutely aware of some intense hatred coming from…somewhere…he knew that the sight of the demon on him would only make things worse.

No one in the group said anything to him and he had the distinct feeling that they were confused.

"What's up?" he prompted when no one said or did anything.

"Demon…" one man muttered half heartedly and then scratched his head as if not sure why he said it.

Then one shouted, "Uchiha!" Several in the group grumbled and nodded. Naruto frowned. It was as if they were here for a fight, but didn't know what they wanted to fight about.

"Yeah. Fucking Uchiha deserter. Living like a king."

"Abandons us then comes back to more money and property than all of us put together."

"My sister has five children and lives in a two room apartment. This traitor is falling off his money pouch and has two dozen empty houses."

"Probably sleeps in a different room every day."

"Has the best ninja in the village as his own personal servant!"

Several of the men separated themselves from the group and headed toward Sasuke's house, shouting and waving their weapons.

"Guys!" Naruto called out. "Let's just call it a night. We can talk about this stuff in the morning. Maybe Sasuke and I can…"

A hate filled chakra signature swirled behind him and he turned, ready. Then the air shifted and he felt a moment of disorientation. Just as he gained his bearings he heard shouts of alarm from behind him.

"Kyuubi!"

"The demon's loose!"

"Save the village!"

Next thing he knew, the remaining villagers that weren't heading toward the house were attacking him. Fuck!

His first instinct was to bring up wind to keep all the men in one place. He reached inside for that well and gasped as he found it empty. The cuffs!

He held his arms up to take some of the blows and craned his neck to find the group that had gone after Sasuke. They were almost to the house and now had lit torches.

They were going to burn down the house and he had Sasuke trapped inside it.

Naruto tried to go through the men who were shrieking and growling, stabbing and clubbing him. But he had less chakra than they did and there were a lot of them. He just needed to keep Sasuke and the villagers separated.

Ignoring the blades now sticking out of his back and arms, he closed his eyes and concentrated with all his might. If he could just come up with enough to throw a thin shield around Sasuke's house with a totem signature similar to that which Yamato used to absorb Kyuubi, it shouldn't take much and he could keep Sasuke in and the civilians out.

Inside the house, Sasuke was in an absolute panic. His own, albeit lesser, sage abilities let him feel enough to have some sense of what was going on. Naruto was in trouble while he was still stuck to the floor.

Suddenly, though he was free. He leapt up and made to go to Naruto's aid but found himself blocked again as he ran into the shield that Naruto had put around his house. From this vantage point, though, he could see what was happening just beyond the gate.

For the next few minutes he did everything he could think of and used every ounce of power he had to free himself or send his chakra beyond the shield, but it seemed to just absorb it all. All the while he watched as Naruto sank to his knees, his arms limp at his side, not even trying to defend himself from the continuous rain of blows coming from his attackers.

Naruto had found the well of chakra that his body used to stay alive and had forced it passed the cuffs and out to protect Sasuke. But by using that he didn't even have enough to remain standing, much less defend himself.

Sasuke screamed and pounded on the shield as he watched the cuffs glow. He could smell the burning flesh mixing with the coppery scent of the blood pooling under Naruto's knees.

The younger shinobi had dozens of sharp objects sticking out of his body, two run completely through his back to stick out of his chest. His face was swollen and bleeding, But Sasuke could still feel his focus; every cell in his body working to hold the barrier in place.

Unbidden tears streamed down Sasuke's face when one villager looped a noose around Naruto's neck and threw the rope over the arch of the Uchiha entrance gate. Terror filled him as several men joined in and hoisted Naruto's unresisting body up into the air.

"Kill the demon."

"Kill the serpent."

"Protect Konoha."

For the briefest of seconds, the barrier flickered but Sasuke wasn't quick enough to take advantage of it. He looked at Naruto whose eyes had opened and were now looking at him. _"I'm sorry."_

"Stop! Don't do this!" Sasuke screamed. "Let me out!"

Then Naruto's body was spun around as the attackers continued to hack at the demon on his back.

Suddenly Sasuke knew what was coming. Sickness welled in him as he watched one of the burlier men dive for a long blade lying on the ground and make a broad swing for the demon's head, just below Naruto's knee.

His fingers burned as they dug into the shield and…Naruto's leg fell to the ground.

Then the shield vanished. And Sasuke was running. Just as he reached Naruto, a blur flew out of the trees and Neji was soaring toward them, his sword out. The Anbu howled as he swung his own weapon, cutting the rope holding Naruto in the air. The blond's body fell into Sasuke's arms and they crashed to the ground.

"Naruto!" Sasuke pulled Naruto into his lap, the weapons protruding from every part of the blond's body cutting into his arms and legs.

He looked into his lover's face. Naruto's eyes were open but cloudy, unseeing. His breath bubbled in short, wet spurts through his nostrils and open mouth, and blood streamed passed his lips and down his chin.

Neji was there, tying a tourniquet around Naruto's leg. "Tsunade will be here any second. There was a disturbance in town as well."

Sasuke and Neji both watched as Naruto made one last short exhale and then…nothing.

"Naruto?" Sasuke whispered, shock stealing his voice.

Neji and Sasuke held their breaths for a space of seconds, waiting for the next rise of Naruto's chest.

It didn't come.

Sasuke became aware of his new connection to the planet, the connection that Naruto had shown him, had given him. His breath faltered as felt the life leave Naruto's body, much as rain sheds from the leaves on a tree.

He felt the earth beneath them joyfully absorb this life energy, just as it covetously soaks up rain after a spring shower. The soil under them became richer, warmer, and more vibrant. His senses were following the trickles of Naruto's life as they sank deeper into the earth and dispersed, diluting and mixing with the other elements of life hidden there. The heavens around him were happier, brighter, shimmering with joy at this new addition. The container in his arms was fading.

"Sasuke, help me," Neji yelled.

Sasuke looked at him, his expression still one of disbelief.

"Help me!" Sasuke could not understand what Neji was doing, much less what was being asked of him. He didn't comprehend that Neji had his hands on Naruto's chest and was forcing chakra into his body.

"We were just making plans…" Sasuke whispered. He was in a web that was apart from the substantial universe and from his new senjutsu perspective he observed a tiny spark, a warm, beautiful light, rise from Naruto's chest and hover, brilliant, alone in a vast black nothingness. He reached for it, but it danced away and he had a feeling that it was teasing him, laughing and playing.

' _Come with me.'_ He was sure that’s what he was supposed to hear; Naruto wouldn’t let them be separated.

He nodded and studied the weapons before him. He pulled one knife from Naruto's shoulder set it to his forearm, making a cut toward his wrist.

"Sasuke!" Neji grabbed his wrist.

"I have to hurry. He's alone again." Sasuke jerked his arm free. "I promised him that he'd never be alone again." He put the blade to his arm again. "He'll think I lied to him."

Then Tsunade was there. The first thing she did was remove the cuffs. Then she pulled Naruto from Sasuke's arms and yanked enough weapons out of him so that she could lay him on the ground.

"You will not fucking die." She grabbed Sasuke's hand and pressed it onto Naruto's chest next to Neji's. "If the demon's still alive, we have a chance."

"Sasuke!" He just stared at her, stuck between two worlds.

She slapped him across the face. "Sasuke!" she shouted again. "Your chakra! Now!"

He blinked and became aware of the activity around him. Then, never taking his inner eye off the spark that hovered and danced, caressing his cheek and ruffling his hair, he nodded and drew forth every reserve of power he could find inside him.

' _Stay.'_

_+++_

**Again...Next Chapter, All In and Constellations are COMPLETELY different. Thanks so much for sticking with me. Chapters 13 and the first half of 14 haven't been my favorites (I really suck at 'bad guys') but hopefully you'll enjoy them as the conflicts unfold.**


	15. - First stand alone chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All In takes off in its own direction starting with this chapter. Hope it isn't too difficult to make the switch.

At a light touch to his cheek, Naruto gasped and shot up into a sitting position.

"Sasuke!"

"Shh," Tsunade soothed, pressing him back onto his pillow. "Everything's okay. Everyone is okay."

Naruto's eyes widened as memories assailed him. He wondered for a moment if it had all been a dream, until he became aware of the agony in his leg.

"Is it gone?" he whispered.

"No. You'll be good as new before long," she answered, smoothing his hair back gently.

He nodded. "And Sasuke's okay?"

"He's…okay." Something in her tone alarmed him.

"What?" He gripped her hand. "What's wrong with him?"

"He was very upset..." Again her voice faded.

More memories returned. He closed his eyes. "I...I died."

She pushed her fingers through his hair. "I do wish you'd quit doing that."

"He tried to…" Naruto swallowed and closed his eyes, "kill himself?"

She just looked at him.

"Where is he now?" He sat up again.

She looked to the ceiling as if asking it for guidance. "He's spending a couple of days in a cell."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Are you afraid he's going to try again?"

"No." She rolled her eyes. "But he might just try to send the rest of the village to hell."

"Oh," Naruto muttered. He could easily envision the wrath Sasuke would pour on Konoha after an incident such as the one they'd experienced.

"You want something for pain?" she asked, standing.

"No," he answered. "When do I get out?"

She looked again at the ceiling, this time hoping it would be a source of patience. "A couple of days. I think it's taxing even Kyuubi to reattach a limb."

He looked like he was going to argue. "Just take some time. You're enraged boyfriend needs it anyway; he's scaring everyone to death. I have three mass murders asking to be moved to solitary confinement just to get out of his wing of the prison.

"Just rest, okay?" She kissed his cheek and left the room.

Lying there alone in the dark, his mind filled with images and sounds and emotions from the altercation.

He remembered experiencing a moment of disorientation and then the absolute terror of the villagers. They had thought he was the actual demon. A genjutsu... He wondered who, but then shook his head. It didn't matter. He had so many enemies, in and out of Konoha, civilian and ninja. It would be a miracle if they ever found out who was pulling the strings that night. If Sasuke was the target, it was no different. They both had hundreds of enemies while their friends numbered in the single digits.

He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. What concerned him was Sasuke's reaction to his death. It occurred to Naruto that he'd been selfish and had forgotten the lesson Sasuke had taught him as a child.

He'd been so afraid of the pain should he take a chance on Sasuke and then lose him. In spite of their talks about Kisho and bonds, he really did think that having a bond and losing it was harder than never having one at all. After all, he'd never had one in his whole life and, while ignorance hadn't been bliss, it had been ignorance, nonetheless.

Now, if he lost Sasuke, he would lose everything that meant anything to him and it would be unbearable. But if Sasuke lost him, it would be his second time losing everything. Naruto couldn't even comprehend what it would be like to go through that twice.

He sighed. What was to be done about it at this point? For now, he decided not to think about it. Hell, Sasuke had probably been thinking about this also, and may well want to be shed of this whole thing.

+++

Sakura roused from a light doze as she heard several thumps and her door rattling. She'd been waiting for days for someone to come and tell her about Naruto's demise. Last she had seen him from her perch in the trees outside Sasuke's gate, the blond was dead.

Unfortunately, she suspected, since she'd chosen to play the serious convalescent in order to divert any thoughts of suspicion from coming her way, no one had the heart to tell her about her dear friend's death.

Still she had thought Sasuke would come see her. He would likely need some comfort and there was no one else in Konoha to whom he would go.

It had been heart wrenching to watch Sasuke's grief and she felt badly that she had to do this to him, but honestly, this was best for everyone around. Sasuke would get his children and the village, indeed the world, would be free of any future threats from the nine-tailed demon.

Sakura had considered that after enough time passed, she might let it slip that she had brought about all these miraculous changes. In retrospect, she thought, the village would consider her to be a hero. She had, after all eliminated a tailed demon single handedly.

She was imagining that Konoha might one day make her Hokage when, after another couple of thumps and a groan, her door slid all the way open.

"Naruto?" Sakura gasped.

"Hey, sweetie." He hobbled in on his crutches.

After easing to sit on the side of her bed with a pained hiss, he smiled gently at her look of shock and smoothed the hair back off her brow.

"Naruto?" She was in shock. Naruto was dead. She'd watched him die.

"Don't worry. I'm fine, just snuck out of my room so I could check on you." He sighed again.

She suddenly realized that Naruto was here without Sasuke. That never happened.

"Where's Sasuke?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, not answering right away.

"Naruto!" She gripped his arm. "Where's Sasuke?"

"Grandma locked him up."

"What?" She pushed into a sitting position. "Naruto, what the hell's going on?"

"Team Seven's having a really crappy couple of weeks." He took her hand and squeezed it gently. "It'll all be okay, though. Sasuke and I will be fine. You just worry about getting yourself better."

"But what happened?" She needed to know how Naruto had returned from the dead. And Sasuke in jail?

"There was some ruckus with the villagers." He scratched his head. "I guess they're mad at Sasuke." He shook his head dejectedly. "Tsunade worried that might happen."

"But why is he in jail?"

"You know how he is," Naruto sighed. "A temper the size of Lake Biwa. She just has him in there to cool off."

She flopped back onto her pillow, her eyes wide, and her mouth still open in shock. How could her plan have gone so wrong? It was, admittedly, hasty, but this? Naruto sat here, happy as a lark, and Sasuke was sitting in a jail cell.

She took a deep, calming breath. "Tell me everything."

"Don't really know much." He shrugged. "Anbu and Grandma are still trying to figure out what happened. It seems that someone tried to stir the villagers into a mob. We're not even sure who the target was. It might have been me, but…" He looked thoughtful. "I did feel something weird. I'm thinking genjutsu." He shrugged again. "We'll just have to wait and see what they find out."

But," she said, eying him, "you're not telling me everything. You're hurt. And what about Sasuke?"

"I'm fine." He blushed. "The mob did do a number on me, but Kyuubi took care of everything once Tsunade took the cuffs off. As for Sasuke, what can I say? He got pissed, and since we don't want anything interfering with his return home, she decided to keep him separated from the general population until I get out of here."

"I can't believe this." She looked at Naruto and realized she was back at square one. Which meant a new plan. Which meant, for the time being, _'keep your enemies closer_.'

"I feel sick..." He nodded in sympathy.

Gathering her resolve, she sat up and pulled him into her arms and stroked his back. "My poor boy. Such a trauma. Here, lean on me for a while."

+++

Two days later, the door to Sasuke's cell opened slowly. He stood as Naruto hobbled in on a crutch.

"Hey, bastard," Naruto sighed, leaning against the bars in exhaustion. Sasuke sat back down on the bed and just looked at Naruto, impassive.

He'd had a week to stew on this and even though he knew Naruto must have come straight from being released from the hospital and was probably in pain, he kept his distance. He had a point to make and couldn't afford to be distracted by his joy at seeing Naruto upright and moving on his own.

"Mind if I sit?" Naruto asked, unsure of what to make of the cold reception he was receiving. Sasuke just stared at him, not answering his question. So Naruto remained standing and rubbed the back of his neck uncertainly.

"If you attempt to protect me again, I'll leave this village," Sasuke finally said in an even voice.

"You will?" Naruto asked, not completely surprised. He plastered an unreadable look on his face and looked beyond Sasuke, not meeting his eyes. He should have known it was too good to last.

"God damned right I will." Sasuke stood and his voice was rising. "I'll be gone so fast your fucking head will spin." He was going to force Naruto into compliance on this. Fear had been like acid in Sasuke's veins for days. He knew that if he ever again experienced anything like what was burned in his memories, he'd lose his sanity. If he ever again felt Naruto take his last breath, while in his arms, ever had to watch his soul leave his body...

Naruto nodded. "The Hokage will be letting you out after she thinks you've cooled down enough." His voice was steady since, at this moment, he felt absolutely dead inside.

"I'll make sure I'm gone when you get back home." He turned toward the cell door.

"What? Wait!" That wasn't what Sasuke expected to hear from Naruto.

Naruto didn't look back, just fished in his pouch for the keys.

"I said wait! You'll be gone?"

"I'm not going to live there if you're leaving. I'll go back to my apartment."

"I'm…I'm not…" Sasuke shoved his hands into his hair. "You'd let me leave when you know I'm right and can protect myself?"

Naruto turned, his eyes narrowing at the implication that he was being manipulated. "I know god damned well you can protect yourself, especially against civilians. That's not what I was doing.

"Don't you understand? If you'd so much as broken one of their fingernails, this would be over. After everything else with the Uchihas, you'd be put in jail or tossed out of Konoha altogether." Naruto clenched his fists. " _That_ is my mission. To stand between you and anything that would threaten your return home. And," Naruto poked his finger toward Sasuke, "make no mistake, it _is_ my mission. I have no choice."

"I won't have it," Sasuke shouted. "I can't go through this again."

Naruto nodded again. "I do understand," he said more gently. "I'll tell Tsunade to reassign this to Neji and his team." He closed his eyes. This would turn out the same either way. "She'll assign me to another mission."

Sasuke blinked. "That means…you'll be leaving the village?"

Naruto nodded. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold up. He kept a silent chant in his head, 'fall apart later…fall apart later.' His arm reached toward Sasuke, but then he jerked it back and let himself out of the cell.

"Naruto…" Sasuke dropped his face into his hands.

+++

Sasuke had kept a bead on Naruto's chakra the whole time he was locked up. After Naruto had left his cell yesterday he'd gone to his old apartment and hadn't moved since.

When she finally released him, Sasuke went straight there and found Neji sitting in the hallway outside Naruto's closed door.

"What are you doing here?"

"If he leaves, I'm going to..." Neji hadn't actually decided what he was going to do. Stop him? Go with him?

"He's not leaving. You can go now."

"How do you know this?"

"He doesn't want to." Sasuke sighed. "And I won't let him."

"Maybe you don't know what you're talking about. He's in there ready to leave Konoha." Neji glanced up. "And you."

Sasuke looked at Naruto's closed door. "He died in my arms last week. The pain was..." Sasuke's voice faded and he swallowed thickly. "So I made a mistake. I tried to manipulate him with empty threats. I won't do it again. He'll forgive me."

"I think I'll just wait and see for myself. _You_ can go."

"You know what, Hyuuga? You could’ve had him. And it's your own fault that you don't." Then Sasuke asked even though he already knew the answer, "Did you ever tell Naruto that you love him?"

After several moments, Neji finally answered, "No."

"Why not?"

"My family...the timing..." Neji said quietly, absently outlining a stain on the floor with his fingertips.

"So you're waiting for Naruto to take all the risk?" Sasuke cocked his head. "You stood just out of reach, hoping and wishing, waiting for him to come to you."

"You talk of love as if… To me it is more than a risk. It's… terrifying." Neji pulled his head protector away, revealing the seal on his forehead. "This is the love I've known all my life."

"My family killed each other. We've both come from fucked up families." Sasuke shrugged. "The love we received was a mixed bag. But we did have some. He's never had any."

Sasuke squatted in front of Neji. "Look, you and I, Uchiha and Hyuuga, we need to define what love means to us and then do whatever we can to make it happen. Including showing him what love is."

"No disrespect to your loss or your dead family," Neji said, bowing his head. "But you have this freedom only because you are unshackled from living relatives. I wonder, if your family had lived, if you wouldn't even now, be facing the impending nuptials to a docile, but highly connected female?"

Sasuke sighed and nodded. "As the youngest son trying to gain the approval of a father who clearly preferred the eldest son, I probably would have found myself consenting to that very thing.

"But, Neji, I can only bid on the hand I'm holding today. And the prize is his heart and soul, his past present and future." Sasuke stood and pointed to the door to Naruto's apartment. "So, I'm all in."

"So it's his terms and you capitulate?" Neji finally stood and faced Sasuke.

"Our terms are the same; all or nothing." Sasuke shrugged. "And it does come with a price. One that's harder for me to pay it than it is for him. I have to let myself laugh. And cry. I have to rip myself open and let him see inside me; see my weaknesses. My fears."

Sasuke looked at Naruto's closed door. "But, you know what I get in return? I get to see inside him." Sasuke's face softened. "And it's fucking beautiful.

"So I'm telling you, it was a mistake to wait for Naruto. This is your result. You're both in need, but there's a closed door between you. As for me, I'll tear this whole fucking building down to get to him if I have to."

The apartment door opened enough for Naruto to stick his head out. Both ninja turned to look at him, but Naruto only had eyes for Sasuke. As the two looked at each other, Neji realized that Naruto had been listening to this exchange.

Sasuke slid to his knees where he stood and bowed his head.

"Naruto, I was wrong. I'm sorry and I beg you to forgive me."

He looked up at Naruto and whispered, "I love you. I need you."

Neji watched arrogant, cold, closed off Sasuke admit he was wrong, apologize and beg, all in one breath. Discomfort moved through him as he watched the other brunette submit on his knees and pour his heart on the ground before another male, with yet another male as witness.

It came to him as he watched Sasuke on his knees, what this weakness? Or was it a strength that was beyond him?

Then he watched Naruto come into the hall, smile gently and pull Sasuke into his arms. He could feel the warmth of Naruto's love as the blond cradled Sasuke's skull close and brushed his lips over Sasuke's brow, whispering his own endearments.

To be held thus, and have that sun shining on him, warming him… Was the price Sasuke paid really so high when one considered the return? He suddenly realized it would be worth any price.

Naruto finally pulled Sasuke into the apartment, leaving Neji alone in the hallway to contemplate his mistakes and what he was really willing to pay to have someone like Naruto in his life.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas! I had some extra time this weekend and so I am posting another chapter this weekend. Enjoy!
> 
> BTW, how's the adjustment to two stories? Too hard to separate them? Not a chance your going to read Constellations anyway?

"Oh my gods!" Sakura stood from the chair next to her hospital bed.

Naruto had just poked his head into her room and, grinning hugely, pushed Sasuke into the room in front of him.

"Look what I brought!" At Sakura's happy laugh, he dragged Sasuke over to her and pulled both of them into a hug.

"I am so happy to have us all together," he whispered, blinking back tears. He sniffled and stepped back.

"I brought something as well," Sasuke said and wrapped his arm carefully around her shoulders. At her raised brow, he pulled a paper bag from behind his back. "Ice cream."

She clapped her hands and kissed his cheek. _'Keep your enemies closer.'_ She put her bandaged hands on both their chests. "This is the best medicine I've had since I got here."

The three talked and laughed for hours. And the boys came back the next afternoon, and then nearly every evening after that.

Sakura was completely tuned in to Sasuke and noticed a trend emerge. It seemed that the more affection she showed to Naruto, the more Sasuke showed toward her. She tested this theory several times over the next week and indeed, the brighter Naruto's smile, the more Sasuke smiled at her, touched her, pressed his lips to her hands or cheek or forehead.

While this was troubling on some levels, it was also progress. Until she could find a way to be rid of Naruto, this was still a way to strengthen her bond with Sasuke.

+++

Sasuke studied Naruto out of the corner of his eye as they walked home from the hospital for the day. The blond had such a sappy smile on his face and blissful sighs were issuing from his lips every couple of minutes.

"I'd like to think that was all for me, but I'd be wrong, wouldn't I?" Sasuke teased.

"I think she's really forgiven me." Naruto's eyes were watery. "I don't think she's mad at me anymore."

Sasuke smiled and squeezed the hand he was holding. "I don't think she ever blamed you."

Naruto turned to Sasuke and gripped his shoulders, staring at him gravely. "Sasuke, it makes me so happy. I want…I want…" His face scrunched as he tried to put into words the feelings ready to overflow inside him. "I want…to be…like…a…a family."

Sasuke tilted his head. "What do you mean? What kind of family? Do you want her to live with us?"

"Oh, well, no. Not like that. I just want…" He looked at his feet a moment. "I just want to protect her and take care of her. Like…like..."

"A sister?" Sasuke suggested.

"A sister," Naruto whispered reverently.

Once again, for the tenth time in a week, Naruto found himself struggling to hold in tears of joy. A sister… And Sasuke… Could his life get any better?

Sasuke, too, had been feeling a growing fondness for their old teammate. Even though she was in the hospital, facing difficult trials of her own, she was bringing such joy into Naruto's life. Perhaps having Naruto battle Itachi to save her had made her look at the blond in a different light.

Whatever it was, he couldn't help but care for anyone who made Naruto this happy.

Naruto fidgeted and played distractedly with Sasuke fingers. "Sasuke, I…I…love her."

"Me, too, dobe." Sasuke pulled Naruto into a hug and promised himself that Sakura would be a bigger part of their lives.

+++

The next night, after the boys left her room, Sakura sank into her chair, stunned.

Sasuke had told her he loved her. Well, he'd actually said that _they_ loved her, but it was the same sentiment. And then he'd pulled her into his arms and held her while Naruto stood off to the side hugging himself, mawkish tears streaming down his face.

It was then that she realized this was the weapon she should have been using all along, the weapon that had given her an advantage since before they were even Genin; her brain.

She had been foolish to think she could out-ninja Naruto or Sasuke. She nodded to herself as she realized that it hadn't even been her ninja skills that had killed Naruto almost permanently, it had been her intellect.

She tossed and turned all night, reliving Sasuke's declaration and planning her next course of action.

Ultimately, Naruto had to go, but killing him seemed to be out of the question. The only person who could conceivably kill Naruto, was…Naruto. Hmm…that might have some potential. She tucked that into the back of her mind.

As morning approached, her mind kept coming back to that. She thought the answer might lie somewhere in there, in the concept of Naruto taking himself out of Sasuke's life, either via death or by walking away.

The thought germinated in her brain and sprouted roots. Were there any conditions under which Naruto would leave Sasuke? One circumstance after another presented itself, but she quickly discarded each.

Would Naruto leave if Sasuke cheated? Maybe, but something told her that Sasuke would never cheat.

A genjutsu showing Sasuke with someone else would probably work on Naruto, but as soon as Sasuke found out, he'd be on the warpath. And she didn't want a war against an Uchiha.

What if Naruto ended up disfigured as she now was? No. She knew that Sasuke wouldn't love anyone less because of something like that. The certainty with which she believed that comforted her immensely. But it didn't matter; the main flaw in that plan could be summed up in one word; Kyuubi. She was not a strong enough ninja to hurt Naruto and if she did manage it, Kyuubi would just heal him.

For the next couple of days, Sakura was truly happy. Her mind was active as she plotted and planned her campaign to win the battle for Sasuke. And the visits with Naruto and Sasuke were exhilarating as Sasuke continued to shower her with affection and be solicitous of her every wish and need.

And at the end of each visit, he spoke to her of his love. She craved this and so much more, the need almost as strong as her need for air. Surely it was a small leap into something more; if only he wasn't distracted.

+++

Soon the day came that Sakura was ready to leave the hospital. On the last day of her stay, the boys were there once again, listening as Tsunade explained the discharge instructions. Eventually reconstruction could begin, but until then, there were creams, wraps and physical therapy. A medic would come to her house every other day.

"Let me," Naruto blurted.

Everyone looked at him. "Sakura-chan, let me come and help you. Tsunade can teach me what to do." He rubbed the back of his neck.

This was more perfect than she could have planned. "Oh, Naruto, you do so much for me already," she demurred, knowing he would push.

"Please, Sakura." He blushed and ducked his head. "You know I still feel so badly…so responsible…for all of this." He looked at her earnestly. "I love you. Please let me help. Let me try to make some of it up to you."

"My sweet boy." She held out her hand and he let it rest in his so he wouldn't hurt her. "You have to know that you are in no way responsible for any of this. But I would like you to do this if Tsunade-shishou says it's okay."

She dropped her eyes and rubbed the thick palm. "It's going to be long and difficult and it would be a great comfort to have you by my side."

"Naruto, you already have a full time job," Tsunade said. "How do you propose to be in two places at once?" He started to answer. "And no, you can't leave Sasuke's well being in the hands of a clone."

"Perhaps," Sasuke interjected, "Hyuuga or Nara will join me for a game of shoji a few times a week."

"Team Seven is ganging up on me," Tsunade sighed, but didn't sound too put out. "Very well. Naruto stop by later and I'll show you what you need to know."

+++

Sakura's plan wasn't fully formed yet, so she welcomed this opportunity to gain information. And she was getting an earful.

Naruto's life had a very narrow scope at this point. Since his only mission was guarding Sasuke and the love of his life was Sasuke and he lived with Sasuke, Sasuke was pretty much all he talked about.

And she listened, secretly avid, with the occasional casual question about their plans and activities.

One day, however she pushed too far and the repercussions were immediate.

"But, I don't understand," she said as Naruto wrapped medicated gauze around her forearm. "What about children? I thought he had two goals in life; killing Itachi and rebuilding his clan. Has he given up both to be with you?"

Naruto's face fell. "I don't know. He seems okay about Itachi. He said he didn't want revenge anymore. He did want to talk to him, but, well, now…"

Then his head dropped and he studied the wrappings he had worked down to her hands. "And we've never really talked about kids and his clan."

"Well, you're both young so it's not surprising that the subject hasn't come up yet, but what about in five years or ten?"

Naruto's jaw worked. "I…don't know."

"Well, he must really love you to give up so much for you."

That next morning Sasuke woke and turned onto his side to face Naruto. The blond was awake and just watching him.

"Hey," Sasuke traced Naruto's lips with a finger. "Everything okay?"

Naruto just looked at him for several moments. Sasuke rolled onto his back and pulled Naruto to lie on his chest, knowing that Naruto would say whatever he wanted to say as soon as he worked it out in his head.

"Do you ever think about children?" Naruto finally asked.

"Sometimes," Sasuke answered. Did Naruto want to start a family?

"Am I…have I taken that away from you?" Naruto asked, rubbing circles around a pebbled nipple with his fingertip. "Have I taken away all your dreams?"

Sasuke sat up and looked at Naruto sharply. "What are you talking about?"

"Rebuilding your clan," Naruto said, throwing his arm over his eyes, unable to look at Sasuke for the moment.

"Naruto, what is this all about? Where is this coming from?"

"It's just that Sakura said," Naruto missed Sasuke's jaw clenching, "now that Itachi's gone, you only have one important goal in your life and…"

"Naruto," Sasuke interrupted sharply, "you're not even talking about children, are you? You're talking about a wife."

Naruto just looked at him.

"Listen to me carefully. I love you. I want you. I plan to live with you until the day I die. We might talk about children some day, but it will be up to both of us, not just me."

Naruto sat up and scooted closer, rubbing his palms on Sasuke's thigh.

"Do you really think I could ever be happy with a _wife_?" Sasuke raised a brow and stroked between Naruto's legs. "With any _woman_?"

Naruto's lip twitched as he tried to picture Sasuke with a female. No, Sasuke wouldn't be happy with a woman. He was attracted to strength and power; strength and power equal to or greater than his own. For Sasuke, a woman would never fill that bill.

+++

That afternoon, Sakura opened the door to both Naruto and Sasuke.

"Sasuke," she gushed. "What a wonderful surprise."

He pulled her into a hug. "Naruto tells me you're doing great, but I thought I'd come and see for myself."

For the next couple of hours, Sakura was treated to a continuous, nauseating stream of cloying affection and odious desire. Sasuke stroked Naruto's hair so many times, she thought it a wonder that the blond didn't have a bald spot.

There were a few moments here and there where she had the urge to cover her eyes because she just knew Sasuke was going to start peeling Naruto's clothes from his body.

At one point she excused herself and went to the kitchen; Sasuke's last amusing anecdote about how amazingly wonderful Naruto was making her spleen ache.

From the other side of the kitchen door, she heard Naruto.

"Sasuke, what the hell are you doing?"

"Making a point."

"This is completely unnecessary," Naruto said. "I believe you love me."

"This isn't for you."

"I still say it's unnecessary. She's happy for us."

"Maybe." The sounds she heard accompanying Sasuke's growled answer were distinctly…slurpy.

"I…aah…uhm…huh?"

"Ready to call it a night? While you were showering, I replaced the bed."

Naruto snickered. "That's the third one we've broken." He snickered again. "I wonder how many other people have a bed graveyard."

Okay, that was enough. Sakura didn't need to hear anymore of this particular discussion. Grabbing a dish towel to make it look like she had been busy, she came back into the living room, a serene smile on her face.

The lessons she'd learned over the last couple of weeks having become instinct, she moved to Naruto's side and put her arm around his waist.

She pressed her cheek to his chest. "Would you be terribly offended, sweetheart, if I asked to call it a day?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Naruto pulled her into his arms. "We overstayed our welcome."

"Not at all. I just think I'll take a nap." She closed her eyes and sighed. "Day after tomorrow, then?"

Sasuke looked at her resting tiredly in Naruto's arms and felt badly. He'd been downright aggressive, throwing what should be private in her face, probably making her feel like a third wheel in her own home. As he watched her nuzzle her cheek into Naruto's palm, he realized he'd overreacted and she hadn't deserved this.

"Here, let's get you to bed. I'll tuck you in." He reached out and rubbed her back. "Naruto, you gather our things?"

Hiding her satisfaction as he put his arm around her and guided her to her room, she used what she'd learned to milk as much out of Sasuke as she could.

"He's such a wonderful boy, such a good friend." Sasuke squeezed her shoulder firmly.

"I just don't know what I'd do without him." He pressed her to sit on the edge of the bed, and kissed her forehead.

"Well, I wouldn't be here without him, now would I?" He bent and removed her slippers, rubbing each foot for a moment.

"That he's so amazing considering the life he's had…" She was beginning to run out of things to say, but by now, was lying down and could feel Sasuke's weight by her hip.

"You and I, we have to give him a good life, be his…family," she improvised. Sasuke pulled her back up into his arms and held her head to his shoulder.

"I love him," she said, then felt daring wrapped in Sasuke's embrace. "I love you, too."

"And I love you, Sakura-chan," Sasuke murmured.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Comments, questions and reviews are welcome.

When Naruto returned alone two days later, Sakura was in a mood. Her very life had been sustained by the last words Sasuke had said to her, perched on the edge of her bed; _'I love you, Sakura-chan.'_

She wanted him so badly, it was a physical ache. He _was_ different than any of the other males in the village. He had treated her like a princess; solicitous, gentle, loving.

And this fucking blond moron was standing firmly between them. She really hated Naruto, and if she had to be nice to him for one more second, put up with his hands on her… Well, she'd not be responsible for the outcome.

He sat next to her on her couch, bandages draped across his knees waiting to be applied and gently took her hand, chattering about some inane thing...and she snapped.

Two seconds later, Naruto was sitting blank faced, his hands limp in his lap, while she stormed around her living room.

"Don't you fucking touch me," she shouted. "I'll put on my own god damned bandages, thank you very much."

All the while, Naruto sat in a genjutsu, in which he continued to blather on and wrap her hands and arms.

For the next half hour, she paced and stalked. She fixed herself a cup of tea and sipped, agitated, talking to herself. Finally she felt calmer and went back to the couch. She sat where she had been and contemplated Naruto's vacant expression.

"What the _fuck_ does he see in you?" She shook her head and proceeded to wrap her own arms and hands.

Suddenly her arms dropped as she realized what she had done. Although not really born with any, through hard work she’d achieved a very small ability with genjutsu but she’d never given it any serious thought since at her level it was basically useless. But she had just put Naruto, strongest ninja in the land into a genjutsu.

Shortly after her encounter with Itachi, she’d stopped poking around in her mind because she had found nothing but now she wondered; was this the gift Itachi had given her? Did she now have genjutsu ability equal to an Uchiha? Was she now really able to use the ability with no more than a fleeting thought? Somehow she was sure he wasn’t in some random illusion either; she knew that he was sitting on her couch, uninterrupted from his task of wrapping her burns while filling her apartment with stupid.

She sat on the couch in front of him and studied his face. She’d never had the chance to look into the face of someone in an illusion. There was definitely a difference. His pupils were dilated to pinpricks. His facial muscles were unnaturally relaxed making his skin flaccid. Yes, he was completely inside his own mind. She closed her own eyes and felt her way along the new connections in her brain, sorting what she found and knew she could join him there if she wanted.

Upon consideration, she thought it best if this entire exchange took place as it was; she wasn’t sure he wouldn’t see two Sakuras if she entered the illusion. She also had a sense that time was passing differently in his false reality so she realized that she had better move things along. With satisfaction she released Naruto from his dreamlike prison.

"Doncha think?" he asked smiling.

"Beyond a shadow of a doubt," she answered and patted his hand.

+++

After Naruto left for the day, Sakura sulked. The foreseeable future looked dismal. She would still have to put up with Naruto every other day. And she couldn't even look forward to future visits by Sasuke. She had absolutely loathed watching the interaction between Sasuke and Naruto while they were in her home. The love of her life had ground her face into a steaming pile of their relationship.

And she knew why. She could just picture Naruto running home…"Sakura said…" "Sakura said…"

Tch. Big whiny-ass baby. Fucking tattle tale.

Well, if she was nothing else, she was smart. She learned her lessons. There would be no more 'Sakura saids.'

So she couldn't kill Naruto. And she couldn't talk him into leaving the brunette for his own good. She'd tried that and Sasuke had been all over her like ugly on a…Naruto.

The experience with the genjutsu this afternoon was a bright spot, however. Naruto could still come over every other day, but she could be in control of the visits now. She wouldn’t have to listen to him run his mouth incessantly, sharing the relationship with Sasuke that should be hers.

By the time she was turning off her light for the night, though, all these musings from the day were rearranging and realigning into something more. A picture, a plan, was emerging.

She had realized some time ago, that Naruto would have to take himself out of their lives. She believed that the blond idiot would leave Sasuke if he thought his relationship was harming him or making him unhappy. She suspected he felt lucky to have the pale warrior. He'd virtually proved that by running back to Sasuke with insecurities after the tiniest little push from her.

Using ninja arts against Naruto was risky, but genjutsu was different than other ninja arts, however, mostly because Naruto was such a butt-stupid moron. If it was muscle or chakra, she would never consider it, but this was really her brain pitted against the empty space in his skull. And now she knew that this weapon trumped even Naruto’s sage abilities. Honestly, if she took the time to think and plan properly, it should be no contest.

The key, she knew was that she couldn't involve anyone else, either in fact or in illusion. That would eventually fall apart and then she would be exposed.

So, it would take subtlety, so very much subtlety, because Sasuke was brilliant and if anything seemed to come from somewhere other than Naruto, he would suspect. And if he suspected, she wouldn’t be on the suspect list initially because her ninja file at the tower listed genjutsu art in the column with the heading “Not Present.” But she knew he wouldn’t give up looking ever and eventually his genius brain to come to her.

~~~###~~~

" _I will love you until the day you die."_

" _You're my hero and I have complete faith that you'll fix this for me._

_"I've been thinking about how I'm going to restore my family name. I was getting so close, but now... Well, I know I can count on you to find another way. My name is the only that means anything to me...besides you, of course."_

~~~###~~~

As Naruto gingerly wrapped fresh gauze around Sakura's waist, she stroked his head.

"Naruto, you seemed so sad when you came in. Is everything okay? You're not still upset about all of this are you?" She waved at her own body.

"Huh? Oh, no, well, yeah, but I was just thinking about Sasuke. He talked to me yesterday." He looked confused a moment. "Or the other day, or...," he trailed off.

"Anyway, he needs my help with a problem and I just don't have any idea how to help him. And since his problem is really my fault, I really hate the thought of disappointing him."

She smiled. "I'm sure you'll think of something."

~~~###~~~

" _I will love you until the day you die."_

" _Aren't you going to apologize?"_

" _I'm…sorry?" Naruto wracked his brain trying to remember what he'd said or done._

" _You don't even know what you did do you?"_

" _Uh…"_

_Sasuke sighed and shook his head. "If only you loved me as much as I love you. I know how to keep from hurting you."_

" _Sasuke! Wait! I am sorry. I'm so, so sorry." Naruto hugged Sasuke tight and hoped with all his might that his lover would forgive him for…whatever it was he'd done or said._

" _Okay. Let's just forget about it this time."_

~~~###~~~

" _I will love you until the day you die."_

" _Sasuke, I love you."_

_Sasuke gave Naruto a speculative look. "What does that mean to you?"_

_Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "Uhm, it means…" Naruto floundered._

_While the casual observer would think that Naruto never lacked for words and that Sasuke never spoke, in actuality, behind closed doors, Naruto preferred to speak with actions, while Sasuke was more eloquent._

_Sasuke looked hurt. "You don't even know."_

' _Wait. I do," Naruto said. "I'll tell you."_

_Sasuke just looked at him, his expression conveying his doubts._

" _When I think of you, the…uhm…the thing I think about the most…" Naruto wiped his palms on his thighs. "Is how I can make you happy. And…and how I can make your life better."_

_Sasuke looked as though he was going to get up._

" _Wait." Naruto pulled him back into his seat. "Please, just give me a chance."_

_Naruto closed his eyes and dug deep inside himself trying to find words for something for which, in his opinion, there were no words._

" _I feel like I…uh…want to…I want to hold you in my hands and lift you up to the sky. I want to hold you up and help you reach success. And peace. And joy."_

_Naruto was blushing, feeling inadequate and uncomfortable trying to put his feelings into words. But Sasuke did it all the time and made it seem easy; the least he could do was try._

" _I want to be everything it takes to make your life the best it can be." As he spoke, it seemed easier to continue. "I want to be in front of you, clearing all obstacles. I want to be behind you to catch you if you fall._

" _I want sunlight to shine on you all the time," Naruto finished._

" _Huh." Sasuke looked at the wall ahead of him. "Is that what you think love is?"_

_Naruto felt his stomach churn. He felt he'd botched this…test? Sasuke patted his leg._

" _I think love is like bondage," Sasuke said. Then he raised a brow. "That's probably why they call them 'bonds.' Love binds you to a time and a place. And a person. Like you. And like Itachi." He tilted his head. "It's kind of like…chains."_

_Naruto winced. "Does it…does it make you happy?"_

" _That's part of it. I guess love is happiness and despair and everything in between."_

~~~###~~~

+++

A bird had delivered a message to Naruto this morning instructing him to come to the Hokage tower that afternoon.

As Naruto and Sasuke reached the steps leading up to the building they heard god awful yelling and then a chair came crashing through Tsunade's window to splinter onto the sidewalk.

They poofed directly to her office to find it in shambles.

She was leaning on her desk, panting, her head down, her fists clenched.

"What's the matter?" Both teens had weapons drawn, ready.

She raised her head to look at Naruto for a moment, then came around the desk and pulled him into her arms.

"I'm so sorry. I tried." He just stood stiff, his eyes wide as she muttered, "It's just for a while. I won't let this stand, I promise."

Disregarding all protocol, Sasuke grabbed her elbow and pulled her to face him.

"What?" he growled. "What the hell's going on?"

She closed her eyes for a moment, and he shook her. "Tell me!" he yelled.

"The cuffs," she sighed. "The council wants them back on Naruto."

"Abso-fucking-lutely not!" The temperature in the room rose as fury filled Sasuke.

"They said since he's healed completely now and doesn't need Kyuubi, the original decision goes back into effect."

"That whole incident happened _because_ of the cuffs," Sasuke shouted. "What kind of Hokage are you that…"

"Listen here, you little prick," Tsunade interrupted.

"I swear to all our gods, if you don't fix this," Sasuke cut her off, the Sharingan whirling in his eyes, "I will."

"Hey!" Naruto yelled. "Guys!"

The other two shinobi eyed each other, anger radiating off both of them in waves.

"Please don't fight because of me," he pleaded.

"Dobe…"

"Naruto…"

"No. Stop. It's okay." He scratched his head and looked at Tsunade. "You said it's just for a while, right?"

"Naruto." Sasuke grabbed his arm. "You fucking died because of those cuffs. If you think I'm going to stand by and…"

"It wasn't the cuffs' fault. It was mine." He shrugged. "I forgot they were on. I should have sent a signal to Neji before I ever left our living room, but I just forgot."

He took Sasuke's hand. "I won't let it happen again."

Sasuke jerked his hand free, looking mutinous.

"I won't," Naruto repeated. "I promise."

Still enraged, images of Naruto's last breath whirling in his mind, Sasuke poked Naruto in the shoulder. "How can you just let them do this to you? Why don't you get angry?"

Naruto frowned, his face flushing as Sasuke's displeasure was now directed at him.

"I don't understand how you can even be a god damned ninja," Sasuke ranted. "You don't have an aggressive bone in your fucking body."

Naruto blinked, taken aback. Then his lips thinned. "That's okay; you have enough aggression for both of us."

Sasuke moved into his space, his eyes blazing, his jaw clenched. He growled in anger for a moment and then grabbed Naruto by the collar.

Two seconds later, they were standing in the middle of the training grounds.

"Maybe I just need to teach you how to get pissed."

Naruto closed his eyes. "Sasuke…" Then he was flying through the air. He twisted at just the last second to keep from slamming into a tree trunk.

"Sasuke…" Naruto said louder, his hands up, placating. Again he didn't get to finish as he found himself maneuvering to avoid a shower of projectiles.

He sighed inwardly. Sasuke was furious and evidently needed to purge his mind and body of the rage boiling inside him. Reluctantly, Naruto dropped into a fighting stance, ready to be Sasuke's punching bag until the brunette cooled down.

An hour later, Naruto caught an exhausted Sasuke as he threw one last weary swing at his head. The punch transformed as Sasuke stumbled forward and wrapped the arm around Naruto's neck. He heaved and panted, his face buried in Naruto's shoulder. He sagged and Naruto let him down gently until they were kneeling in the dirt.

"Sasuke," Naruto whispered.

"Don't," Sasuke shuddered. "I can't talk about this now. Just take me home."

~~~###~~~

" _I will love you until the day you die."_

" _Sasuke, I'm sorry I was so upset yesterday."_

_Sasuke shrugged. "You're always upset about something or another."_

~~~###~~~


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, Comments, questions and reviews are always welcome.

~~~###~~~

" _I will love you until the day you die."_

_"Does that mean you aren't going to answer?"_

_"Answer what?"_

_"I was just talking to you and asked you a question."_

_"Oh. I wasn't listening."_

~~~###~~~

Sasuke had always wondered how Naruto did it. How did his friend keep smiling in the face of all the dangers, all the wrongs in his life?

He supposed that Naruto's outlook stemmed from the fact that he'd started out with nothing and had gained everything; he'd learned to look up, forward. Sasuke'd had everything and then found himself with nothing; he'd learned to look down and backward.

But his life had come in a full circle. From that nothing, he now had everything once again. He found himself looking forward for the first time since he was a small child. And he was being ungrateful.

Naruto brought hope and optimism into Sasuke's life. In spite of the injustice of having the demon inside him, the hurt of the villagers' resentment, and the unfairness of the council's decision about the cuffs, Naruto never lost his optimism.

For years, Sasuke had no plans, no goals, except those that ended in the death of his brother, and himself. Now Sasuke had dreams of a future filled with fire and sunshine. There would be a family. There would be a legacy. There would be bright tomorrows as long as they lived and beyond.

But now Sasuke watched as his friend walked through their home, sad, cheerless. He imagined he could feel the warmth recede as it does in shadow. He'd been mean and unfair. He realized he was a cloud blocking his very own sunshine. Who did he think he was to extinguish that light, douse the flame?

So Naruto didn't get angry; Naruto _wouldn't_ get angry. That was Naruto, his Naruto. Sasuke was the fighter, the volcano. Naruto was not.

And Sasuke wouldn't change him.

He found Naruto on the roof looking toward Hokage Mountain and squatted in front of him.

"Hey? Could I interest you in a walk to the tea shop?"

When Naruto just looked at him a moment, Sasuke stood and held his hand out, "Maybe take the long way?" he enticed. "I really enjoy your company."

Naruto dropped his head and picked at the hem of his pants.

"Naruto, please," Sasuke whispered and dropped to his knees, "don't shut me out."

He wrapped his arms around Naruto's shoulders and buried his face in Naruto's neck. "I'm so sorry. Forgive me."

"Sasuke." Naruto smoothed his hair. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I did," Sasuke said. "But I didn't mean to.

"I'm just so afraid," Sasuke said, wiping wet cheeks on Naruto's shirt. He lifted his head and looked into blue eyes, "I felt your life bleed away. I watched your soul leave your body."

"I'm so sorry," Naruto whispered, holding Sasuke close. "I'm making you so unhappy, ruining your life…"

"No, Naruto, never."

"I only want your happiness," Naruto said. "That's all."

"I'm happy when we're together," Sasuke whispered.

~~~###~~~

" _I will love you until the day you die."_

_Sasuke stood at the full-length mirror naked from a shower. Naruto caught his eyes in the reflection and walked up to the smaller shinobi and wrapped his arms around him from behind._

_"Hey gorgeous."_

_"Gorgeous, huh? So you like my body, Dobe?"_

_Naruto's eyelids drooped, and he rested his chin on the pale shoulder. "It's the most perfect thing the gods ever created."_

_He watched as Sasuke stared at their reflection in the mirror, dark eyes roving up and down the image._

_Something about the look on Sasuke's face made Naruto raise his head and look, too. Really look._

_He didn't know why, but suddenly, all he could see were their differences. Black hair brushing against blond. Pale skin against tan. Lean, lithe body versus stockier build. They were the same height, but Naruto could see the outline of his frame, broader, wider than the male in front of him._

_"Do you, uhm, like mine?"_

_"Of course." There was something…distant in Sasuke's tone. "But I though you said this one was perfect." He rubbed his hands down his own chest and winked._

~~~###~~~

" _I will love you until the day you die."_

_"So it's my job to take care of you, and by extension, your money."_

_"I've been doing okay so far."_

_"How do you even know" Sasuke's bark of laughter stopped whatever Naruto was going to say. "I'm an Uchiha. Do you really think you know more about money than I do?_

" _Just leave your information out and I'll take care of everything from now on."_

~~~###~~~

"Are you still working on that damned door?" Naruto found Sasuke on the east side of the complex sorting through a pile of rice paper rolls.

He threw his arm smartly in the air and then aimed it at the door. "Hantei Kachi! Winner by decision!"

Sasuke raised a brow. "Now that hardly seems fair since the door's had three years to prepare for this match and I've only had about an hour."

"Yeah, right. What about the last two days?'

Sasuke frowned. "What are you talking about? I just started on this after breakfast, just before you went to Sakura's. I trained with Neji while you were gone and here I am."

It was Naruto's turn to frown. His eyes lost focus for several seconds and then he winced. "But, I…quit joking around."

Sasuke stood up and eyed his friend warily. This wasn't the first strange conversation he'd had with him lately.

"But, I've slept two nights since…"

"Since when do you have so much trouble keeping track of time?"

"I don't know." He rubbed his neck. "Maybe it has to do with these fucking headaches."

"Headaches?"

"Oh, well, yeah. But it's nothing. It's only been for a couple of weeks." Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he put his hands on his hips. Naruto raised his palms. "It's fine. I was going to tell the old hag next time I saw her."

Sasuke studied Naruto for a moment. "You better."

~~~###~~~

" _I will love you until the day you die."_

_"Do you like being bigger than me?"_

_"Eh?"_

_"Do you like being bigger than me? You know, does it make you feel like the guy in our_

_relationship?"_

_"I...the guy? I don't know what you mean? I...don't feel like...I don't understand? Do you wish I was...different?"_

_"Don't be silly. Let's get dressed."_

~~~###~~~

" _I will love you until the day you die."_

_Sasuke stood at the door leaning against the jamb. He was laughing and talking to someone on the porch._

" _Dating Naruto is great. You get a real man and a real woman."_

~~~###~~~

"Naruto, eat!"

"I'm not hungry."

"What is wrong with you? Are you sick?" He leaned forward. "Is that even possible?"

"I, uh, ate earlier."

"Earlier than what? We just got up."

"Stop bugging me." Naruto scraped his chair back and stalked out of the room.

Sasuke stared in bewilderment at the untouched food in front of Naruto's seat. As far as he could tell, the blond hadn't eaten more than a dozen bites of food in the last week.

He'd normally let his friend make his own eating decisions, but he was losing weight and there were other things that didn't seem right.

He hoped Naruto would either talk to him about it, or snap out of it soon, because he was really beginning to worry.

~~~###~~~

" _I will love you until the day you die."_

" _I don't know what your friends are talking about. I actually enjoy hearing the sound of your voice constantly."_

~~~###~~~

Naruto pulled his pants out of his bag and winced as he felt it drag across the kunai he'd tossed in there.

He pulled the garment the rest of the way out and felt his stomach churn when he saw the damage. It was irreparable; the zipper was ruined. Since it left him with only two pair that fit now, he had no choice; he'd have to buy more.

This meant asking Sasuke for some of his own money.

Later, his palms sweating and his heart hammering, he approached Sasuke.

"Hey, I...uhm...I..."

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked.

"I...uhm...need to buy some more pants."

Sasuke blinked. "So."

"I was wondering...that is," Naruto swallowed, "can I have some money?"

"What?" He looked at Naruto, dumbfounded. He shook his head as if to clear his hearing and repeated, "You want money. For pants."

Naruto's face flamed and he rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh…n…never mind." He started backing out of the room.

"Naruto, wait." Sasuke felt uneasy. Naruto was acting stranger and stranger. This request made no sense whatsoever; his friend had more money than he did. Even so, it seemed to mean a lot to Naruto.

Still shaking his head in confusion, he took money from the pouch at his hip and held it out. "Here."

Naruto just looked at it and Sasuke had this feeling that Naruto was going to cry.

Finally Naruto did back out of the room, not looking at Sasuke. "Never mind. I'll make do."

The next day Naruto was completely humiliated to find a new pair of pants on his bed.

~~~###~~~

" _I will love you until the day you die."_

" _It really hurts me to hear your friends make fun of you behind your back. So feel free to use my stuff."_

_Naruto read the note sitting on the bathroom sink under a stick of deodorant and a tube of toothpaste._

_He felt sick to his stomach._

~~~###~~~

Naruto was asleep again. At first Sasuke thought that Naruto was staying up on guard duty and catching up on some sleep during the day. But now he'd come to realize that the blond was just sleeping all the time. He slept all night right next to him and then was sleeping all day.

When he tried to get him up, Naruto would either get up and drag himself around for a while or just give Sasuke a weird, speculative look and then roll over and face the other way.

Sasuke didn't know what to do. He'd tried tempting the blond with food, which never worked and more recently, with trips to visit friends.

The last time he'd mentioned that, Naruto had snapped at him, "No. Don't ever ask me that again."

Even though he didn't think Naruto could get sick with bacteria or viruses, he began to wonder if the Kyuubi wasn't causing him problems. The cuffs had been on a long time now, interfering with both sets of chakra.

Kami knew the blond was looking terrible. His skin was taking on a grayish color and in spite of all the extra sleep lately, he had bags under his eyes.

"Dobe, get the hell out of bed. I know there is something wrong with you. If you won't tell me, then maybe you'll tell the Godaime. She can..."

"Leave me alone," Naruto muttered. "I'm just tired."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Maybe you wouldn't be if you'd eat something. You look like shit."

Naruto looked so hurt, that Sasuke took a step back. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I only meant that you look like..." He could think of no other way to phrase his thoughts on the changes in Naruto's body.

"I'm sorry." He crawled into bed with the blond and pulled him into his arms. Naruto was stiff for several long moments and then finally relaxed.

As the blond fell asleep, Sasuke thought he might sneak out and go see Sakura. She'd spent several afternoons a week with him for the past couple of months now. Maybe she had some insight.

Sliding out of bed carefully, Sasuke slipped out the house and across the rooftops to Sakura's apartment.

"Hi." Sasuke smiled at Sakura as she let him into her apartment. "You look great. How are you feeling?" He put his arms out in a silent request for a hug.

"Sasuke, it is so great to see you," she spoke into the warmth of his embrace. "But where's Naruto? Are you supposed to be here without him?"

He stepped back, his arms still around her and brushed her hair back off her brow.

"I snuck out. I needed to talk with you." He guided her to the couch. "It's about him."

Gods! Sasuke was here, alone. And she was in his arms.

"I'm so glad you came. I've wanted to talk with you about him. Do you want some tea?"

"Yes please." He followed her to the kitchen. "You really do look great."

"There is no need do say such things. I know better."

"What do you mean?" he asked. She just looked at him. "You mean the scars?"

She frowned in response.

He smirked. "We're ninja, we have scars. Seen mine lately?" She still just looked at him.

"Here," he said. Then right before her eyes he removed his shirt and turned around. On his back were several horrendous looking gashes. When he turned, she could see his chest and abdomen had hundreds of small white scars and burns. One large section near his hipbone was completely disfigured.

"And here," he pulled up one pant leg. His left calf was missing a chunk of muscle. "See, we all have them."

"Not Naruto."

Sasuke deflated. "He does, believe me. Maybe more than anyone. His are just mostly on the inside."

He sank into the nearest kitchen chair and rubbed his face with his palms. "He's been acting different at home. I was wondering if you were seeing anything."

"Actually I have. He seems tired a lot." She brought the tea to the table and sat. "And moody. I thought maybe it was the guard duty, trying to stay awake night and day."

Sasuke shrugged. He didn't think this was hitting on the problem.

"But I had another idea."

"What?"

"You weren't here to see it, but once Naruto came to terms with...your absence, he changed."

She took a sip. "People have always been hard on him here and I'm ashamed to admit I was no exception." She dropped her head attempting to look contrite.

"You know he left with Jiraiya for a couple of years." He nodded. "When he got back, I don't think he liked it here anymore. The village treated him like crap and you were gone." She shrugged. "He took every long-term mission he could get. I don't think he ever slept in his apartment more than two nights in a row."

She blew on her tea, then continued, "When the chance for sage training came up, he leapt at it."

"So what are you saying?"

"He hasn't had normal human interaction for years now. Except for Neji, it's been toads and the Hunter nins."

She sipped some more.

"He's always assigned the most dangerous missions, and they're always solo, so he has to watch his own back. When he gets back he's...twitchy. Jumpy. Paranoid. He barricades himself in his apartment for a day or two and then he's off again."

"He might just be suffering from claustrophobia." She patted his hand. "I'm sure you're charming company," she smirked, "but even that would drive someone crazy twenty-four seven. Maybe he needs some time apart."

This had Sasuke's attention. He had tried to sneak off to his meditation garden several times, not to meditate, but to be alone with his own mind for a while. And now that he thought about it, Naruto had encouraged it. Maybe the blond did need the space as much as, or maybe more than, he did.

He got up and came around the table. "I have to go now; I'm not supposed to be here." He pulled her up and into his arms again. "Is there anything I...we can do for you?"

"Yes. Come and see me anytime. Naruto may be okay without company, but I could use some."

He kissed her forehead, "Of course," he smiled at her. "I'll even get permission next time so I can make it a real visit."

She swatted at him and pushed him toward the door.

As she closed it behind him she wondered what developments this latest twist would bring.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you're enjoying All In, feel free to drop me a note.

~~~###~~~

" _I will love you until the day you die."_

_Sasuke sighed loudly and looked at the ceiling. "What's the matter now?"_

" _Huh?"_

" _You're fidgeting and making noise."_

" _Sorry. Headache's kinda bad today."_

_Sasuke issued another loud sigh, but this one was accompanied by a look of annoyance._

" _It's always something, isn't it?_

" _I'm sorry."_

" _Look, is there anything I can do about it?"_

" _I don't think so."_

" _Then do you really think it is fair to…inflict…it on me? How do you think it makes me feel, knowing I can't help you? Now, if I could actually help…" Sasuke shrugged._

" _Since I can't…" He shrugged again._

~~~###~~~

" _Naruto, you look great." Tsunade said. "And I wouldn't worry about the headaches."_

" _Are you sure? They seem kind of…bad."_

" _I can give you a powder that will help." She fished in a cabinet on the wall. "Maybe you can try some meditation, as well."_

" _Honestly, though, you look marvelous. You were getting kind of bulky." She grinned at him. "I'll bet Sasuke likes the changes you're making."_

" _Here now." She handed him the envelope. "Keep up the good work."_

~~~###~~~

"Hey dobe." Sasuke crawled into Naruto's lap and straddled his legs as he sat at the kitchen table, listlessly rearranging rice grains on a plate.

"Hey."

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Okay."

"We've been in each other's hip pockets for months now." Naruto shifted his gaze to a spot over Sasuke's shoulder as he spoke. "I don't know about you, but in Sound, I got used to spending a lot of time alone. I understand you might be feeling a little crowded yourself."

He didn't like the look on Naruto's face, the complete lack of any emotion, but he forged ahead, thinking about what Sakura had told him.

"I thought maybe you'd like some time to yourself today and maybe tomorrow, too. I was thinking it would be a good time for me to lock myself in the scroll room and take some time to sort through some of the old stuff." He put his hand on Naruto's cheek and the blond nodded.

Unease slithered through Sasuke's belly. Was this the right thing to do? Had Sakura been wrong?

Finally, he decided it was only for a day or two and he was making a big deal out of nothing.

"So, anyway, you've been putting up with me a lot lately and I thought you'd like to have some time to yourself."

After several moments of silence, during which Naruto didn't speak or look at him, he stood. "Okay then. Well, I'll see you tomorrow or the next day." He left the room before the tears started sliding down Naruto's cheeks.

+++

Sasuke stood in the scroll room, perspiration running down his neck and arms. While it was hot and stuffy in the windowless room, he was sweating just as much from agitation.

A beast in his stomach kept rearing its head and gnashing around until he felt sick. This was wrong.

Wasn't it?

Damn it! He just didn't know how to read Naruto anymore. When he'd left Sakura's, he'd been optimistic, thinking that he'd finally see a smile on Naruto's face, sheepish or otherwise.

What he got was completely different. Sasuke had walked out of the kitchen feeling like he'd just killed Naruto's puppy.

He flopped into the corner and leaned against the wall. Maybe he should go to his lover.

Or maybe not. Fuck!

Sasuke knew he was demanding and perhaps a shade needy. Perhaps those very traits of his were the problem. Maybe Naruto was feeling the stress of maintaining Sasuke and all of Sasuke's needs.

If he cancelled this project and went back early, maybe he would make things worse, clinging and pressuring, showing Naruto that he couldn't even go a day without him.

Fuck! He didn't know what to do. He wished there was someone he could talk to.

Then realized there was; Sakura!

Nodding to himself, he repacked the shelves he'd emptied and headed toward the shower.

+++

Sasuke had snuck out. And gone to Sakura's.

Naruto stood by the Uchiha property gate and wondered what he should do. This wasn't the first time Sasuke had snuck out. He'd left once before and gone to Sakura's as well.

Naruto wasn't too worried about his safety; Sakura knew the parameters of Naruto's mission and would make sure Sasuke didn't have any confrontations with villagers.

But why didn't he just tell Naruto? He had to know that Naruto would be okay with it and would put the necessary precautions in place. While Sakura could keep Sasuke safe, she shouldn't have to since she was recovering from horrible injuries.

And why the story about being in the scroll room? Sasuke knew that Naruto would know his location.

He just didn't know what Sasuke wanted anymore. It had seemed so easy in the beginning; they'd seemed so in synch.

Or maybe Naruto had deluded himself into thinking that. What the hell did he know about relationships? Not a fucking thing.

He did know missions, though. Maybe that was the problem. Maybe he'd been treating Sasuke like a mission, albeit unknowingly. He didn't think he was, but…

Aaagh! This was making his head hurt so badly.

He was so confused. He wanted to try harder. He wanted to give up. He wanted to bury Sasuke in sunshine and joy. He wanted to set him free.

The pain in his head screamed and his vision dimmed. He stumbled into the house and made it to the bed just as his consciousness faded completely.

+++

Sasuke sat on Sakura's couch. She sat on the floor by his feet and patted his leg.

He'd talked to her for only a few minutes before he'd broken down into tears.

"It's falling apart," he whispered as she rubbed soothing circles on his thigh. "I don't know how to make him happy."

Sakura listened. She, too, had tears in her eyes. It tore her heart to see Sasuke so upset.

"I don't know how to act around him," he continued.

"Sometimes these things just don't work out," she said gently.

A sob escaped him and he put his hands over his face. "No. It needs to work out. I can't live without him." He looked at her. "I can't be alone again."

"Sasuke, you have to know you'll never be alone ever again."

He seemed to ignore that and took several breaths.

"It's like Itachi. I feel like I'm missing something, some vital piece of information. He looks so terrible. I know he can't get viruses or diseases, but there's something wrong with him."

He gripped her hand. "You're a medic, and you see him all the time. What's your opinion?"

She tilted her head thoughtfully. "It's true that he's changed. But the weight loss and the mood swings… Certainly I haven't done an exam but, it seems to me to be emotional in nature. Mental. That's why I suggested the claustrophobia."

Sasuke's head dropped to the back of the couch and his jaw worked. "So he's just unhappy."

Sakura sat on the couch next to him and pulled his head to her shoulder. "I don't know, sweetheart. But it'll all work out in the end. I promise."

+++

Sasuke woke and tried to lift his head, but a crick in his neck screamed at him and he winced. Finally he opened his eyes. And gasped. Where the hell was he?

Sakura's! He was on Sakura's couch, his head on her shoulder. He looked over; she was asleep.

Then he remembered. He'd cried and then, because he hadn't slept well in weeks, he fallen asleep where he sat.

He craned his neck toward her window, trying to estimate the time. Damn it. It looked to be morning. He'd slept half of yesterday and all night here on her couch.

There was no way that Naruto didn't know. This was bad. He had to go now. He got up and started toward the door, but looked at Sakura, slumped over, her head lolling at a sharp angle. He couldn't let her sleep like that.

He scooped her up and walked her down the hall toward her bedroom. Her eyes opened sleepily.

"Hey," he said. "I've got to go, but I thought I'd tuck you in first."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled onto his shoulder.

"Thank you for everything, Sakura-chan," he said as he slid her door open with his foot. "I'm sorry I dumped all this on you."

She just sighed sleepily. "S'okay."

As he laid her onto her bed and pulled a cover over her, she kissed his cheek. 'Love you."

"I love you, too, sweetie. Thank you again."

+++

Sasuke flew across the rooftops toward home, and cursed himself for being such an idiot. What was he going to say to Naruto?

Certainly he had no intention of lying, but now that he was on his way home, he wondered why he was even in the predicament. Why the fuck hadn't he just told Naruto he wanted to go to Sakura's? Why had he felt the need to sneak out?

He imagined how he would feel about this if he was Naruto. He would feel completely disrespected.

He'd come back to Konoha and by taking the council's scroll and moving into his old home, he was agreeing to the conditions. One of those conditions was Naruto's presence as guard.

And because they loved each other, he and Naruto had come to an understanding about that part of their lives. For six months, Naruto would do his job, but he would interfere as little as possible, giving Sasuke a measure of self-respect, and in return, Sasuke would not undermine Naruto's assignment.

But he'd left and he knew that Naruto had let him. Naruto was a sage; he knew Sasuke's every move.

Shit. If the council got word that he'd snuck out on Naruto, it would be bad for the blond.

Damn it, damn it, damn it! He flew into his house and raced around calling for Naruto. He cast his senses out and located Naruto in the bedroom. When he got there, he found Naruto lying half on, half off the bed. Something was wrong.

"Naruto!" He pulled him into his arms.

Naruto winced and opened one eye a small slit. When he saw Sasuke, he pushed out of his arms and crawled away. Sasuke followed on his knees, but Naruto shrugged him off.

"Naruto! What's wrong? What happened?"

Naruto stumbled into an upright position and Sasuke glanced around for some clue, a sign of a struggle or something that would tell him what happened.

"Naruto." The blond didn't answer, just grit his teeth and swayed slightly on his feet.

"Naruto!" Sasuke gripped his shoulders until Naruto opened his eyes a tiny slit. "Is it your head? Does your head hurt?"

Naruto shrugged him off and took a step back.

"Naruto! Answer me, damn it. What's wrong? Is your head hurting?" He shook Naruto. "Answer me or I'm getting Tsunade."

"You said…" Naruto winced as though the sound of his own voice hurt him. "You said you don't want to hear about it anymore."

"What the hell are you talking about? I said no such thing."

Naruto dropped his head, turned and walked out of the room.

+++

Dear god. She'd spent the night with Sasuke. Yes it was on her couch, but still…

And things were going so badly between Sasuke and the meathead. It wouldn't be long and Sasuke would be free. Her dreams seemed within reach now.

It might require another campaign to turn his platonic feelings into romantic, but she had no doubt that it would eventually happen.

Impatience filled her. As she basked in the remembrance of his warmth by her side all through the night, she made a decision to step up the game. Perhaps some forays into their sex life. Maybe it was time for more.

~~~###~~~

" _I will love you until the day you die."_

_"You're being silly. This is still you." Sasuke paused in his thrusting and rested his head on the shoulder of the Naruto clone he had pinned to the wall._

" _Your clones just weigh less than you do. I can't do with this you."_

_He began to move again. "It will be your turn in a minute."_

_Several minutes later, Sasuke growled out his finish and pinched the clone until it poofed away. Then he staggered to the bed and flopped on his back next to Naruto, who had been watching and stroking himself in anticipation of being the object of Sasuke's attention._

" _Give me a minute."_

_The minute turned into never as Sasuke rolled onto his side away from Naruto and fell asleep._

~~~###~~~

" _I will love you until the day you die."_

" _Do you think it is possible to love someone and hate them at the same time?"_

_Naruto felt his vision darken at the edges at Sasuke's question. He had no idea how to respond, but like most of their time together anymore, he had to fight the urge to flee._

" _I was thinking about Itachi, of course." For some reason, Naruto didn't feel relieved._

" _I mean, obviously, I loved him. He was a bond I could never break, though I did want to._

" _And then after he killed everyone I hated him for taking so much away from me. Even though he deprived me of so much, I still loved him."_

" _Did you stop loving him when he died?" Naruto whispered._

_Sasuke was silent for several moments._

" _Yes. Now that you mention it, I became free the day he died."_

~~~###~~~

" _I will love you until the day you die."_

_"Sasuke?"_

_"Hmm?"_

_"I was wondering, what do you think would happen if I was gone?"_

_Sasuke looked up sharply. "What do you mean gone?"_

_"If for some reason, I was...I mean, if I wasn't here with you anymore. Like gone on a mission for…years, or something."_

_"Don't say that. I will love you until the day you die. As long as you are alive, I will always find you and keep you with me."_

_"You would?" Naruto seemed genuinely confused._

_"Because we love each other we are...trapped...no that's a bad word, I mean, bound to each other. So, we will be together for as long as you live."_

~~~###~~~


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Comments and/or critiques are welcome.

Naruto never said a word about Sasuke's departure. But guilt was like glass in Sasuke's gut.

"Naruto, can we talk?"

Naruto just shrugged. "Okay."

"Are you angry with me?"

Naruto looked at Sasuke with confusion. "No. For what?"

"For sneaking out." When Naruto just gave him a blank look, Sasuke added, "Going to Sakura's?"

Naruto looked surprised. "Gods, that was so long ago…"

Sasuke was taken aback. It had only been a couple of days.

"It does make me wonder if you want to leave Konoha," Naruto said while Sasuke just stared at him. "You know you can just go. Remember what Tsunade said?"

Sasuke closed his eyes. He might have come to that same conclusion. If he had been Naruto looking at this, he might have wondered if Sasuke was, once again, too weak to make his own decision and was hoping the council would make it for him and toss him out.

He pulled Naruto into his arms.

"No, Naruto. Never," he whispered into the blond hair at Naruto's temple. "I'll never leave you. I'm so worried about you. I just wanted to talk to someone with some medical training…"

Naruto pulled out of Sasuke's arms. "You spent the night."

"I…fell asleep on her couch." Sasuke winced at how lame that sounded.

Naruto just nodded, however. "It's okay, Sasuke. But I want you to know that I will do or be anything you want. Including gone. All you have to do is tell me."

Fear filled Sasuke. This sounded too much like a breakup for his comfort.

"Naruto, please just listen to me. I want, _need_ , us to be together forever. As far as I'm concerned the only thing that will separate us," he reached for Naruto's hands, "is death."

~~~###~~~

" _I will love you until the day you die."_

_"Our relationship is so important to me. I want everything to be perfect and to feel like we can tell each other everything."_

_"Like what," Naruto asked dully._

_"Do you ever have fantasies?"_

_"Sure," Naruto answered with no enthusiasm. "What is it you want?"_

_"Do you ever think about what it would be like to be with a woman?"_

_"I've been with women."_

_"Oh. Well, I haven't. And I feel like I missed out on something." Sasuke rubbed his hands up and down Naruto's chest. Naruto didn't look at him._

_"So I had an idea. I could have this experience, but still have you, which, of course, is the most important thing in the world, since I will love you until you die."_

_"Did you have any woman in mind?"_

_"No, there's no woman I want in particular. How about you pick?"_

_Naruto picked the form of a prostitute he had visited in Sky Country. And as Sasuke moved above him, as the two shared what had always before been a treasured intimacy, Naruto wondered why all he wanted to do was cry._

~~~###~~~

Sasuke walked up behind Naruto, who was sitting listlessly on the roof.

"Hey." He sat behind him and wrapped his arms around the alarmingly smaller chest.

"Hey," Naruto responded, his body tensing. "Did I feel Shikamaru here?"

"Why, yes, you did." Sasuke nuzzled Naruto's earlobe, trying to lighten the mood and get Naruto to relax. "He and I have been in a stealth operation."

Naruto turned and looked at Sasuke, his brow raised in question.

"You had no idea?" When Naruto just looked at him warily, Sasuke continued. "Makes me feel pretty good about my ninja skills that you had no idea."

"I'm sorry," Naruto said.

Sasuke bit his tongue. That was all he ever heard out of Naruto anymore.

"Come. I have a surprise for you." He stood and held his hand until Naruto finally took it and followed him.

Sasuke led them to the kitchen where they found the table laden with dozens of cartons of Ichiruka ramen.

Naruto felt his stomach lurch and it was all he could do to keep from clapping his hand over his mouth. If there had been anything in his stomach, he was sure he'd have vomited.

"Sit. I got every flavor they had just to make sure I got your favorite." Sasuke could feel Naruto's reluctance but shoved him into the seat forcibly. He hadn't actually witnessed a bite of food pass Naruto's lips in weeks and he was desperate.

"So, if I remember right, Miso was your favorite." He kept the tone light as he opened the container, broke the chopsticks and wrapped Naruto's fingers around them. Naruto just stared at the food with a look of complete revulsion.

"Naruto, eat!" Naruto winced and lifted his hand slightly then let it drop again.

"I went to a lot of trouble to get this just for you." Sasuke wasn't above petty manipulation if it would get food passed those lips.

"I'm sorry."

That was it! If Sasuke heard that phrase one more time…

"Naruto, pick up those fucking chopsticks and eat!" Sasuke said sharply.

Naruto looked anxious, but scooped up a bundle of noodles and put them in his mouth. He closed his eyes and swallowed them without chewing.

Then he threw the chopsticks and bolted from the room. Sasuke found him leaning over the edge of the porch vomiting into the dirt below. He retched and retched, though the contents of his stomach were mostly acids.

"Naruto, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Sasuke held his friend who was shaking and gasping. "Will you please tell me what's wrong with you? It's killing me to watch you like this."

"I'm sorry."

"Please stop saying that," Sasuke whispered. "Naruto, let me get Tsunade."

Naruto shuddered weakly. "I've already seen her twice," he said. "She said there's nothing wrong with me."

"That can't be…" Naruto lurched again for another bout of retching.

"Naruto..." Sasuke dropped his head next to Naruto's and then he wept. His shoulders shook as he clutched Naruto's shirt.

"I make you so unhappy," Naruto whispered.

Sasuke's head shot up. "No, never. You're the only thing in my life that makes me happy." He held the other ninja tighter, suddenly afraid that Naruto would vanish.

"Take a break tonight. Please sleep with me. Please let me make love to you. Or just let me hold you."

Naruto said nothing.

"Come take a shower with me and let me take you to bed." Sasuke was pulling Naruto along to the bathroom as he spoke, not really waiting for acquiescence. "Let me make you feel good."

Sasuke led their naked bodies under the warm spray.

"Do you know that I need you?" Naruto nodded without hesitation.

"Do you know that I love you?" Naruto flinched and Sasuke stopped smoothing lather through the blond hair.

"You're afraid of me?"

"No."

"Naruto, what have I done? Tell me how I've hurt you."

"You never have." It was true. Sasuke had never put a hand on him with any intent to hurt him. Sasuke had never really even yelled at him. "It's me. You could do so much better than me."

"How can you say that? There is no better for me than you."

"I don't understand." Naruto held his hands up, looking desperate. "Is it the demon you want? Do you need…need my money? Or do you need me to protect you or something? Because you don't have to do this." Naruto waved between them. "I'd do it anyway. I'd give you anything, if you'd just ask."

Sasuke didn't even interrupt. His mind was reeling in shock. How had they gotten here? Naruto's money? Protection?

Naruto looked back, expectantly. "Is that it? Are you afraid of some enemy? Or…or…maybe I can just give you my money?" His face scrunched in anguish. "I don't have anything else to offer."

Sasuke's arms dropped to his sides and he just stared at Naruto.

"Naruto, I love you." Sasuke thought that was the only reason that mattered, that the phrase explained everything. He loved Naruto. End of discussion. There was no 'why' or any rationale. He just loved him. He just did.

But then he watched apprehension fill Naruto's face when he said that and knew there must be something more. It suddenly occurred to him that there were two sides to that coin.

"Do you still love me?"

"Oh, yes," Naruto said earnestly, gripping Sasuke's hands. "More than anything in the whole world. I'd do anything for you."

He got another expectant look on his face and added, "I'd die for you…" Naruto stared at him wide eyed.

Sasuke felt Naruto was waiting for some kind of answer, but had no idea what the question was.

Suddenly he'd had enough of words. He'd learned long ago that words were nothing in the face of actions. He'd just show him. Naruto would understand that, he'd always been a man of action.

Shutting off the spray, he pulled Naruto into his arms and kissed him with everything he had. He was determined to make Naruto feel some of the love he had for him.

Then he used everything he'd ever learned about his lover to bring him to arousal. He tried not to let it discourage him that his efforts were only getting sporadic results. Naruto would start to respond and Sasuke could feel him start to harden, and then he would deflate and Sasuke would start again.

Sasuke realized that he would lose ground whenever he told Naruto of his love. Refusing to think about that now, he just stopped saying it. Then he noticed that he couldn't say anything about Naruto's looks or their future without having to start again. So he just shut up all together and used his hands and his mouth to stimulate all of the sensitive spots he'd learned since they'd become lovers.

Then he dropped to his knees and looked with longing at the now hard flesh in front of his face. He held it before him and looked up at Naruto. The blond had stopped breathing and had a fearful look on his face. Ignoring it, Sasuke leaned forward and took it in his mouth.

It shriveled between his lips. When he looked up at Naruto, the blond had his eyes scrunched shut and his hands pressed back against the shower wall.

Sasuke leaned back on his heels, his face blank. "I'll be back." He got up and left the shower.

Naruto had tried not to react that way. All he could see was the last two times they'd done this when Sasuke would immediately get up and spit Naruto's release into the sink, coughing and gagging. Naruto had never felt as mortified as when he watched Sasuke rinse his mouth over and over until the look of revulsion left his face.

Sasuke was gone several minutes when Naruto finally stepped out of the stall. Sasuke was leaning on his hands on the sink. His eyes were closed and tears were dripping from his chin.

"Sasuke..."

The brunette straightened abruptly and swiped the wetness from his face.

"It's fine. I'm okay."

"Sasuke, I'm so sorry."

"Stop apologizing. You did absolutely nothing wrong."

"Neither did you."

Sasuke's shoulders sagged and he whispered, "I keep thinking that I must have, maybe before I can even remember." He looked up at Naruto and held his palms up. "What do you think it might have been? What could a child have done that would be worth two families?"

"Sasuke…"

Sasuke turned back to the sink and looked at Naruto through the mirror, his jaw working. "Neji loves you almost as much…" his voice broke and he rubbed his eyes with his forearm, "almost as much as I do."

"Sasuke." Naruto took a step backward, shaking his head. "No…"

"You could make a fresh start with him." A choked sob left the older teen and he leaned heavily on the sink.

Naruto's chin was quivering as he spoke. "I won't beg because I need you to be happy, but I was hoping that you would," Naruto continued after several shuddering breaths, "forgive me and give me another chance."

"Naruto, I want you to be happy and it's clear you're not happy with me. I haven't been able to arouse you in weeks. And look at you. This relationship is going to kill you."

Some odd light filled Naruto's eyes, then it passed and he said, "Sasuke please believe that it's not you. You're perfect. I love you and don't even come close to deserving you."

He took Sasuke's hands. "Give me another chance to make you happy. I don't know how I'll do it, but I promise to try."

"I wish you could understand that your happiness is what makes me happy," Sasuke said, staring at the floor.

"Your happiness makes me happy," Naruto said.

Sasuke's lips thinned and he decided on one last try at manipulation. "It would make me happy if you would eat and sleep with me again."

Naruto's face blanched, so Sasuke pulled him into his arms.

"I'll accept the fact that you can't eat right now, but know that I'm very concerned about it. But if you'd sleep in my arms tonight, it would make me happy."

~~~###~~~

" _I will love you until the day you die."_

_"What's the matter," Naruto asked with trepidation. Sasuke was sitting at the kitchen table staring at cup of tea, looking as forlorn as the blond had ever seen him._

_Sasuke's mood swings terrified Naruto._

_"I've been thinking. I will love you until the day you die." This was the phrase that started Naruto's heart pounding and his palms sweating._

_He just sat in the chair across from the brunette and waited._

_"Do you ever think about children?" Naruto felt acid burn his throat._

_"Sure."_

_"We are going to be together for as long as you live, so I know that there will never be any," Sasuke rocked the cup back and forth watching the liquid slosh over the edge. "And that's okay with me, it's just that sometimes..." his voice faded._

_"I want to try something," he said. "I'm not sure if it will make me happy or sad, though."_

_"Just tell me what you want."_

_"Could you," Sasuke hesitated and Naruto tried to find a place inside where whatever was coming wouldn't shred his heart._

_"Just for a few minutes, so I can pretend, so we can pretend together, for a little while..."_

_"What? You want me to henge into an Uchiha baby?" Naruto was surprised how harsh his voice sounded._

_But Sasuke seemed unfazed by the tone. "No, that would hurt too much. But maybe someone pregnant with an Uchiha baby..."_

_"Anyone in particular? Or do you want me to pick again?" Naruto snapped and stood._

_"You can pick." Sasuke appeared oblivious to the destruction he was causing, and just smiled. "But, like everything else, don't do this unless I ask, because it might make me sad."_

_Naruto poofed. "How about TenTen?" He stood there, looking for all intents and purposes like TenTen in her last weeks of pregnancy. "Or Temari?" He poofed again._

_"You're angry with me." Sasuke looked contrite. "I'm sorry, I only wanted..."_

_"No." Naruto slumped. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't get angry at something this...important. I know that I've taken this away from you. I'm sorry."_

_"It's okay, I'm sure you've just had a bad day."_

_Sasuke got up and came around the table. He dropped to his knees and began rubbing the rounded belly._

_Naruto wanted to run away as far and as fast as he could go. He wanted to stay and curl up into small ball and pull a blanket of oblivion around himself. He wanted to stab himself over and over to allow the pain of the flesh to obliterate the pain in his heart._

_"Naruto, thank you. I will love you until the day you die."_

~~~###~~~

 


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy this chapter and as always, I'd love to know what readers think.

Naruto stood in the shower. The hot water was long gone, but he stayed there under the spray, numb.

Was Sasuke happy?

He kept professing his love for Naruto, and he never got angry, but how long would that last when he kept asking for things that Naruto couldn't give?

Yes, he could change the shape of his body, either in reality or illusion, and maybe he could learn the social graces that he was missing. They could limit their sex life to only things that pleased Sasuke.

But how could he help with the Uchiha name? Or the continuation of the Uchiha line? How did other families cope with things like this? How did family members provide for the needs of each other?

Naruto had this idea in his head that families and blood ties were permanent things. But now that he gave it more thought, he wondered why he would think such a thing.

Jiraiya had been alone. Tsunade would be the end of her line.

His own family was gone and would end with him. Sasuke was the last Uchiha, all murdered by a fellow Uchiha. Sasuke himself might have killed his last blood tie if Naruto hadn't been forced to. And Hyuuga? The curse seal was placed on family members in the event of disappointed expectations. Those examples were of families bound by blood. He and Sasuke were not.

But he wanted a family so desperately. He wanted Sasuke to be that family. Maybe he just needed to try harder. He just had to learn what family meant to Sasuke. If he didn't he would be alone again.

Of course, that was only if Sasuke would ever let him go; he said he wouldn't. Surely his friend was just as afraid of being alone again as he was.

Just as he started to feel somewhat better, his resolve to try harder firming in his heart, he heard the bathroom door open.

"Dobe?" Naruto turned off the water and stepped out of shower. As he looked at his lover, he was overcome with feelings of affection for him. They were both the same. Both alone. Both lonely. The two of them were trying to figure out something that was new to each; two orphans struggling to find a way to be happy.

"My god, your skin is freezing. What have you been doing?"

"Cold shower," Naruto smiled.

Sasuke eyed Naruto for a moment. "Now why would you need something like that with me right here?"

"That's a good question." Naruto's lips quirked and he traced a finger down the alabaster chest.

Sasuke was filled with sudden anticipation. This was the closest he'd seen Naruto to his old self in weeks. He felt an urgent need to press his advantage.

He grabbed Naruto's arm and towed him into the bedroom. When he had him by the bed, he wrapped the blond in his arms and kissed him.

"Naruto, I love you." He gripped blond hair. "I love you so much. Let me make love to you. Please, let me." He rubbed his hands everywhere he could reach. "Be with me. Let me be with you."

"Yes. Anything...everything." Naruto let himself be pushed onto the bedding and groaned aloud when Sasuke crawled on top of him.

Not wanting to lose this, Sasuke was quick to undress and get the lube from under the pillow. In no time he was thrusting into his blond.

"Do you love me?" He pressed the blond's shoulders into the mattress, his gaze boring into the eyes below him. "Tell me you love me."

"I do love you, until the day I die."

Sasuke's eyes dilated. "I want this to be the best ever. Help me make this the best ever."

Sasuke remembered the mind blowing chakra encounter from months ago. "Can you do it? Can you do it to yourself?"

Naruto's eyes dulled. "Okay." He closed his eyes and pushed his hand between them. As he grabbed his deflating erection, he heard Sasuke growl, "Yes, make it good."

Then he took a deep breath and squeezed; his face contorting in pain.

Sasuke shoved himself up and slapped Naruto's hand.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he yelled.

"I'm sorry!" His eyes darted away from the black gaze. Sasuke almost never yelled at him. "I thought..."

He looked back at the brunette, earnestly. "Is this what you meant?" And he turned himself into Hinata.

Sasuke cried out and scrambled across the bed away from the small female form. "Naruto, what the hell is wrong with you?" He was still shouting.

Naruto was getting frantic. It had started so well and because he was so stupid, he couldn't figure out what Sasuke wanted. In desperation he transformed again, this time into a very pregnant Sakura.

Sasuke's eyes widened impossibly. Then he lurched forward and grabbed Naruto by the shoulders, shaking him. "Change back right now," he yelled at the top of his voice. "Right the fuck now."

When Naruto was back in his original form, Sasuke shoved away from him. He stared at the bedspread with a dazed look on his face.

"What is wrong with you?" His voice was a shaky whisper.

"I don't know," Naruto whispered back and curled up on his side. He was beyond tears. "I'm sorry. I forgot that it might make you unhappy."

"Naruto..." Sasuke had no words. Something was so wrong that he couldn't wrap his head around it. He turned to his friend, and as he watched the unchanging blank stare, he felt an overwhelming fear that Naruto would disappear before he could figure out what was wrong with him.

He lay down on his side facing the blond and reached out and grasped the bony wrist. Suddenly he realized what was right under his grasp. The cuffs! Nothing else made any sense.

Sasuke gripped his arm harder. Naruto was not going to disappear tonight. And tomorrow, Sasuke was going to see the Hokage.

+++

"Hokage-sama, I would ask for your help." Dark bangs swayed as Sasuke's head bowed in respect.

"What is it?"

"I'm so sorry I didn't come sooner. I should have come sooner… I know you've already examined him… I wonder if he's told you everything, though…" Sasuke sounded like he was babbling.

"Spit it out, Uchiha." Tsunade frowned at Sasuke's uncharacteristic display.

"It's Naruto." He looked up at her and she could see the turmoil in his eyes. "There is something wrong with him."

"What do you mean?"

"There is something…" He paused and then said, "For instance, he has lost a lot of weight. He won't eat. I know you know that, but I'm very worried about his physical health. I found him unconscious, and…" He looked up. "Did he tell you that?'

She frowned at him, having a hard time following this. "Tell me? About you being worried?"

He cleared his throat and interrupted. "There's more. He is avoiding everyone. He..."

She just looked at him.

"He's not the same. Besides the headaches… He...doesn't ever know what day it is. He seems to be...afraid. Of me."

Her eyes narrowed. "Afraid of you?"

"I swear to you, he doesn't have a reason to be."

She said nothing.

"And, he's hurting himself."

"What does that mean?" Her voice was taking on a dangerous tone.

"Clawing at…inflicting...pain." He looked desperate. "I've tried to stop him. I think I've stopped him, but..."

Tsunade was standing now, leaning on her hands on the desk.

"And," he whispered, staring at the floor, his gaze tormented, "on a more...private..." His voice faded.

"What? What is it?" she growled.

"He is henging as women during..." He didn't finish.

There was silence.

"And he henged into..." His voice dropped off again.

She came around the desk. Anger and tension simmered in her voice. "Say it."

"A…female…in the village...pregnant." He stepped toward her, his hands up in supplication. "Let me bring him to you. Please look at him again. I thought maybe it has to do with the chakra suppressors. It wasn't long after they were put on him that this started."

"I'll expect you both in less than an hour."

+++

The Naruto before Tsunade was almost unrecognizable. His face was gaunt and she could see the bones of his shoulders and hips through the clothing hanging off his body. She did an admirable job of keeping her shock off her face, but it didn't matter since he wouldn't look up at her.

"You wanted to see me?" he asked, his gaze darting up and then away just as quickly. "Sasuke said something about a report?"

"Yes, brat," her tone was casual. "It's been a few months now, and I'd like to know how the guard duty is going; whether there have been any incidents I should know about."

"Uh, no. I would have reported if there were."

"And how you are doing staying in the village? This is the longest stretch you've been home in a few years." She tilted her head. "Not getting antsy, wishing you were back in the field?"

Naruto's eyes darted even more furtively and Sasuke didn't realize that he had reached out and taken the gray hued hand near his.

"No. It's fine." His tone wasn't convincing. "I'm good here."

She stood abruptly. "Well that's good. Since you're here, I'd like to take a look at the cuffs." She strode around the desk and took his free arm. "You should have had them checked before now. You know as well as I do that there are no case studies for your situation. I've been remiss in not keeping better records on this."

"But you've already…"

"I'm sure it's fine, Naruto." She pulled him toward the door. "It will only take a minute."

+++

"I don't know what's wrong with him." Her elbows resting on her knees, the Hokage dropped her head and pushed her fingers through her hair. "I was lax in not checking the cuffs. There really isn't a case study for the implications of suppressing demon chakra for extended periods like this."

"You…he said…you haven't examined him already?" Sasuke looked confused.

"I haven't seen him in months." Tsunade frowned.

Sasuke was silent a moment taken aback that Naruto had lied to him. Then he shook his head and turned to Tsunade.

"Can we take the cuffs off?"

"The council put them on him against my better judgment." He started to speak, but she held her hand up. "But there's some strange brain activity going on. I've never seen anything like it. It's way too fast and it's as if his head is...crowded. It seems to be, for lack of a better word, misfiring. He has to be in agony." Sasuke's face paled, but she kept speaking. "I have some justification for overriding their decision.

"They want him. They want the security he brings to this village." Sasuke's fists clenched.

"But he can't do that if he's dead." She stood abruptly and rapped the rubber gloves in her hand sharply against her thigh. "Give me five minutes to take them off and then take him home. Keep a close eye on him and keep me apprised of his condition. And for god's sake, see that he eats."

He stood in front of her and bowed his head. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. Thank you very much." His voice was a shaky whisper.

She tilted his head up by his chin and kissed his forehead. "Thank you for bringing him. He'll be fine. I won't let it be otherwise."

+++

Sasuke was ready to rip his hair out. He hadn't known what he had expected, but he didn't think that Naruto's condition would get worse in the week since the cuffs had been removed.

He could feel the full strength of the blond's chakra as well as the undercurrent of the demon's. But Naruto's condition was unchanged. Sasuke didn't know how much longer the blond could go without eating; how much more weight he could lose.

Finally he had to say something.

"Naruto, I wonder if you have looked in the mirror lately."

Naruto stared at the table top, after having refused again the breakfast Sasuke had made for him. "I'm trying..."

Alarm bells ringing in his head, Sasuke dropped into the seat across from the distraught shinobi. "What are you trying?"

"To be more...to look better. To look the way you want me to. Like Neji and Sai. For you."

Sasuke felt his stomach lurch. This 'was' about him. Distress caused his words and voice to be harsher than he intended.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You're angry with me. I'm...sorry?"

Sasuke came around the table and knelt in front of his friend. "Please tell me what's wrong. I love you so much and I know there is something wrong with you."

"I know it." Naruto was limp in his arms. "There's more stuff wrong with me than I can fix." He dropped his head to Sasuke's shoulder. "I'm trying, but I'm so tired." The sigh that escaped his lips gave testament to that fact.

Sasuke had no idea what to say. Where was this coming from?

"Here. Just lean on me for a while." He hugged the boneless blond. "It will be okay. I promise."


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fun stuff...to me anyway. 
> 
> This story was written at the same time as Constellations, which I wrote to deal with my cancer. I didn't share it then, but I'll share it now. All of that and some other stuff caused me to treat my family horribly in a way that would be described as emotional abuse. There was no physical abuse but it was as bad, or maybe worse. Now, since I and my family are on the other side of all that bad stuff, I enjoy this story as a tale about Naruto and Sasuke and the happy ending that they get.
> 
> I also really liked telling a story through the use of memories, of Sasuke learning things he didn't know about who Naruto was and how he came to be the person he is by seeing, as an adult, parts of Naruto's childhood with his own eyes.

As the last Uchiha poked indolently in the dirt with a stick he wracked his brain for any word or deed from him that had caused all these changes in his lover.

He knew Naruto was insecure. Both of their lives were living examples of the phrase that began with the words, "All good things..." But while he'd never felt more optimistic about his future than when Naruto agreed to be with him, maybe Naruto was feeling the pressure of impending doom.

Suddenly he had an idea. If Naruto needed reassurance, perhaps he could provide it in a concrete way. As far as he knew, what he had in mind had never occurred in Konoha, but he didn't think there were any actual laws against it. And knowing the Godaime and her affection for the other ninja, she might be able to clear any obstacles in their path if it would fix the seventeen year old.

Galvanized and unwilling to wait another second, he jumped up and tore through the house looking for Naruto. Several minutes later, he found him sitting on the roof, staring sullenly out toward Hokage Mountain.

"Naruto, come with me." Naruto stood and brushed off his pants.

"What's up? Trouble?"

Sasuke didn't answer, just popped them both in the living room. "Sit down."

"What's going on?"

Sasuke sat close and took both Naruto's hands in his. "I want to talk to you about something important." He could see a vein in the tan neck start to throb.

"Naruto, I've been thinking about marriage."

Naruto's eyes closed. With a sigh he pulled Sasuke into his arms. "Sasuke…"

The relief Sasuke felt made him lightheaded. Naruto pulled back and pressed their foreheads together.

"I want you to know that your happiness is the single most important thing in the world to me. I also want you to know that I'll always love you and it will be okay."

Sasuke stroked the other's cheek.

Naruto pulled back.

"Will you tell me who?"

"Who what?"

"Who you plan to marry, silly."

Sasuke just stared for several seconds, then threw the Naruto's hands out of his grasp and jumped to his feet.

"You've got to be kidding me!" He deflated just as quickly and sank to his knees at Naruto's feet, anguish ripping through him. "Tell me you're kidding, please."

Naruto just stared at him.

"Naruto." The brunette looked earnestly into wary blue eyes. "I want to marry _you_. I want to marry you if the Hokage and council will let us. I want us to be together always. Until death."

Something scary crossed Naruto's face. His eyes morphed in a whirl back and forth between horizontal and vertical, between gold and blue. His skin reddened and veins popped out on his neck and temples. Then he fell back onto the couch, grabbed his hair with both hands and started screaming.

He was pulling on his hair hard and arching his back, screaming at the ceiling. "Can't…aagh…take…"

"Naruto!" Sasuke grabbed the other male and tried to pull him into his arms. "Stop..."

Before he finished his sentence, he found himself holding nothing. Naruto had disappeared.

Panic like he'd never felt flooded his system. He flung his senses as far as he could to locate Naruto's chakra. The madly fluctuating power of the boy and the demon were easy to locate. Sasuke transported himself to the blond's location in the forest outside the gates.

And was frozen in shock.

Naruto was covered in blood. He had kunai in each hand and was ravaging his body with them.

Sasuke was momentarily unable to move as he watched the demon vessel slash at his own throat, only to have the wound begin to heal over immediately. He stabbed into his torso and swiped at his forearms. All the while he howled in frustration, and growled like a cornered animal.

"Naruto!" Sasuke recovered his ability to move and threw himself at the deranged teen. He grabbed the weapons and snatched them out of blood soaked hands.

"Sasuke, I'm trying. He won't let me do it." Then his eyes lit. He reached into his scabbard and pulled out his blade. "Maybe you can do it." He made a slicing motion at his neck and turned hopeful eyes up. "If you get my head all the way off I don't think he..."

Sasuke screeched. He grabbed the blade and threw it as far as he could with one arm.

"Stop it! Stop it! What's wrong? Please tell me what's wrong." He was shouting and trying to pin Naruto to the ground, but the other ninja was struggling to pull more weapons out of his pouch.

Then Neji was at their side.

"Help me! Help me hold him down." The Hyuuga joined the struggle, pressing the determined body into the earth.

Naruto had a shuriken in his hand and was muttering, "Seppuku, hara-kiri." He stabbed into his upper abdomen and had a three-inch cut before Neji pinned that hand over the blond's head.

Neji placed two fingers on several spots on the writhing body to immobilize his limbs.

Sasuke slumped over the bloody form, his entire body shaking uncontrollably. "Thank you," he panted.

"Today could be the day. Help me and you can be free." Naruto's voice was pleading.

Neji turned Naruto's head, pinning him with his eyes. "Explain."

"He'll love me until the day I die. Today can be that day and then he can be free. Happy." The look on Naruto's face was demented.

Neji turned to Sasuke who was whispering, a look of shock on his face, "I don't understand. I don't understand."

"He looks terrible. What is wrong with him?"

"Tsunade thought it might be the cuffs, so she took them off." He looked at the blond's blood coating his hands. "Thank gods she did."

"Kyuubi, then." Sasuke didn't answer, still staring at the blood on his left hand, his right stroking Naruto's hair while the blond muttered 'help me' over and over.

"Uchiha!" Sasuke finally looked up. "The Sharingan has influence over the demon. I can go in and help you if you will cooperate."

Sasuke straightened. "Yes." His eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched. "I'll fix that fucking demon."

When Neji arrived in the space that was Naruto's mind, he found Sasuke's ethereal form on his knees, hands over his ears. The noise in the blond's mind was deafening; a din of whispers and shouts, all in Sasuke's voice, all saying the same thing, "I'll love you till the day you die."

He covered his ears as well, and that was when he noticed that Sasuke's eyes were riveted on something before him. As he looked, he realized Naruto's memories were playing out before them, whirling about at dizzying speeds.

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

Naruto was watching Sasuke as the brunette watched Neji and Sai, both shirtless, spar. The look on Sasuke's face was intense.

"You're right, Naruto. That is the perfect body type, isn't it?"

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

Naruto was about six, squatting in an alley, a rock in each hand. He was making fighting noises and banging them together. Immersed in his imaginary battle, his delight was clear on his tiny whiskered face.

Suddenly a side door opened and a burly man came out carrying a sack of trash. He looked like he is going to ignore Naruto, but then his eyes narrowed.

"Hey, you. You fucking demon brat. Those are my rocks." He kicked Naruto and snatched the rocks up.

"You little thief. Stealing people's rocks. Their families." He aimed another kick at Naruto. "Their brothers... Get the fuck out of here and never let me see you touching my stuff again."

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

Naruto cried. His heart was absolutely broken. Sasuke, his Sasuke, was dead.

Sasuke shouldn't be dead. Sasuke was perfect. Everybody loved him. The world would be so empty without him. The whole universe would grieve and cry. The sun would probably stop shining.

It should have been him. Most people would be happy if he died. There would probably be parades and cheering.

And if anyone learned that beautiful Sasuke died for him...well, they would probably kill him.

And he'd be glad. Life with no Sasuke...it was too lonely to think about.

How dare the enemy take Sasuke from the world, from him? Rage filled him and then something else. Something hot. And cold. And glorious.

The universe that seemed so vast and incomprehensible suddenly seemed smaller and not so complex. In fact, it seemed within his power to manipulate the earth and the very heavens.

And this pathetic spec before him, the one called Haku, who was too small and insignificant to deserve a name, would be crushed by a mere thought.

He took in his surroundings, at the beings called humans and found them beyond consideration.

Except this one, this Sasuke.

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

I don't know how I'm going to restore the family name. I was on my way, working so hard to try to bring honor again, but now that Itachi's dead... I can't kill him and if he had any secrets that would fix this, they've died with him." Tears streamed down Sasuke’s face.

"But you said you had some ideas..."

"There's nothing. I have no idea where to start. It's over."

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

With the vast nothingness behind him, Naruto stared at the wall of white light before him. He took a step forward.

"Wait. Do you know what that is?"

"Uhm, death I guess," Naruto answered the disembodied voice that he knew belonged to Kyuubi.

"Yes. And yet you walk toward it?"

Naruto thought a moment and shrugged.

"Most mortals cling to life."

"Why do they do that?" Naruto scratched his cheek.

"You're asking me?"

Naruto laughed and looked around at the infinite void around them. "Ain't nobody else here."

"Hm. You are a brat."

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and grinned.

"Bonds, I supposed."

"Huh?" Naruto frowned in confusion.

"Mortals. They live for their bonds."

Naruto's face fell and he looked back at the light. "Maybe that's why Sasuke's leaving. He doesn't have bonds anymore. Maybe if you don't have bonds, it's better to go."

"Perhaps you just don't have yours yet. By human standards you are still a child."

"I had one. Nobody else wants one with me and now Sasuke's broken ours. He hates me, too."

"Perhaps. I can't speak for him. But what about us?"

"Us?"

"Yes. We have a bond, you and I."

Naruto blinked. "You're just a voice in my head." He snickered. "And a pain in my ass."

"Both very real human experiences, are they not?"

"Hey! You just don't want me to kill you, too!"

"Certainly. And since we have a bond, you don't want to kill me, do you?"

Naruto looked uncertain. "You did bad things and people are afraid of you getting out again. I think I'm going to have to kill us someday."

"Perhaps. But now? Today? Let us discuss this when you are feeling better, shall we?"

Naruto looked wistfully at the light. "I don't know. Now that Sasuke's gone..."

"He's gone to someone who will steal his body and soul. Are you going to give up on him so easily when he needs someone to make him see reason now more than ever?"

"NO!" Naruto shouted. "I'll never give up on him. I'll never stop protecting..." He stopped and sighed. "Okay. Let's go, you stupid furball. But I ain't doing this for you."

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

Naruto sat at the table in the fine restaurant and kept looking back and forth between his laughing friends and the bewildering array of dining ware in front of him. Every time he looked there seemed to be more utensils and glassware.

As everyone else juggled his or her flatware with ease, his anxiety increased until his stomach churned and he couldn't eat if he tried. Then he looked at Sasuke, who smiled lovingly and squeezed his hand.

"It's fine. I know this is embarrassing. Why don't you just go ahead and leave. I'll be home later. I'll bring you a doggie bag."

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

Young Naruto dropped a drunken Jiraiya onto a tattered sofa. The boy had several weapons sticking out of his back. He managed to reach and pull out all but one that was in a spot that he couldn't reach from the bottom or the top. Bubbling blood was spurting from his nose and mouth giving evidence that the kunai was in a lung.

"Didn't you think I had the winning hand, Naruto?"

"Yes, sensei." Naruto had a coat hanger hooked through the handle of the kunai, but every time he pulled, it just cocked the weapon, causing more damage.

"Such a good boy. Just like a son." Jiraiya's eyes where unfocused as he watched the boy grit his teeth and slam backwards into the closet door, shoving the kunai all the way through.

Just before Naruto lost consciousness, he pulled the weapon, slippery with his own blood out through his chest.

"Just like a son."

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

A very small Naruto hid behind a tree and quivered with longing as he watched the scene on the playground. Two pale skinned, dark haired boys were darting around each other, the older one smiling at the intense look on the younger boy's face.

"Don't distribute your weight so evenly, Sasuke. You have more speed if you don't have to take time to shift your weight to one leg." The younger boy tried again. "Better. You will be the finest shinobi in Konoha some day."

Little Sasuke stopped and threw himself at his older brother, wrapping his arms around his neck. "Itachi, you are my favorite brother."

Itachi laughed and poked the youngster in the forehead. "Your favorite? Out of all your brothers?"

Sasuke blushed and buried his head in his ni-san's thin shoulder.

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

"You're making a big deal out of nothing. It's still you, just that now you look like Hinata. The important thing is that I know the difference."

Sasuke had Naruto's much smaller form against the bedroom wall, thrusting slowly. "It's just that you're so damn big. I could never do this with you as you are." He squeezed the large pale breasts.

"Anyway, you're acting like a woman. Stop it."

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

"I love you, Itachi." "I love you too, Sasuke."

Naruto watched as two brothers stood in a hospital hallway and tried to kill each other.

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

Sasuke clutched his head until he regained his real world orientation, then faced Neji across Naruto's body.

"What's wrong with him? What the hell was all that?"

Neji said nothing, just studied him.

"Wait a minute. Those things never happened. Well, some of it did and I don't know about the things with Jiraiya and the villagers, but, I never..."

Sasuke paused and narrowed his eyes.

"Look, Hyuuga, I don't give a fuck what you think. Just help me get him to Tsunade."


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto's mother is like any other mother. After stuffing photos and accomplishments of her boy down your throats, she wants everyone to crow about how he is, indeed, the best boy in the world. Be careful or the home movies will be next. Is that a threat? Absolutely it is.

Neji found Sasuke sitting in a hospital corridor, his head leaning against the wall, his arms hanging limp over his bent knees. The Anbu dropped onto the floor and sat in a similar pose on the opposite wall.

"I don't know how to fix this." Sasuke's face was blotchy and his eyes were bloodshot.

"The first thing you need to do is stop blaming yourself." Neji's voice was as rough as Sasuke's.

"But, if I..."

"Stop. If Naruto senses guilt from you, he'll think you're guilty." He picked at a piece of carpet fiber sticking up near his knee. "I completely understand the inclination to feel responsible in some way, but you did not do this."

"Then what the hell happened to him? Was it the demon? Did suppressing Kyuubi's chakra..." Sasuke stopped, unwilling to articulate his fear that Naruto might have been driven insane.

Neji was silent for several moments. He finally said, "I don't think that was it."

Sasuke straightened. "You know something."

Neji looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, "Are you familiar with visual access cues?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"Essentially, for a normally organized, right handed person, the brain houses remembered images on the right and constructed images on the left." He had Sasuke's full attention.

"For example, you can often tell if a right handed person is lying by the direction their eyes move when they answer. If they look right, they are telling some form of a truth, if they look left, they are probably creating something.

"This is also where dreams are stored. Dreams are not true memories comprised of the five senses and are not fused into the fabric of the brain. They are, rather, less substantial and often short lived. They, too, reside on the left side of the brain."

Neji scooted closer and lowered his voice.

"Do you remember what we saw in Naruto's head? Use your Sharingan and remember with me."

Sasuke closed his eyes and let Neji talk.

"Try to remember the pattern of flashes that accompanied each memory. The early memories all comprised flashes from the right side of his brain. It wasn't until some time into your relationship with him that the flickers from the right began to be interspersed with those from the left."

Sasuke's eyes flew open. "Yes. I do remember." His eyes widened as he realized something Neji had said.

"Then you believe that I didn't treat him like that?"

"If I did, you would already be dead and they would be looking for your body for the next thousand years."

Sasuke snorted and felt warmth toward the older brunette. How could he feel anything but gratitude toward someone who cared so much for Naruto's well being?

"Neji., if anything ever happens to me," he sighed in exhaustion, "will you try to make Naruto happy again?"

Neji hesitated. "That means much to me, and, although I can't promise that I will not one day move on, I will always care for Naruto and try to make his life a better one."

Sasuke was surprised at the relief he felt and his head dropped back against the wall once again.

"So," he sighed, closing his eyes, "he's having nightmares. I'm not sure how that helps us..."

"No, I wasn't finished." Sasuke's eyes snapped open.

"Think again about the constructed images; use more of your senses. They were laced with a very faint trace of chakra. And it was not his, Kyuubi's, it had a faint whiff of something like Uchiha but not actually Uchiha."

There were many seconds of silence as the import of Neji's words registered in Sasuke's mind. Finally,

"Someone did this to him?" Sasuke growled. "Who? Some family I don’t know about?"

“I could not tell, but again, I don’t think it is actually Uchiha. Perhaps you can tell?”

Sasuke stared hard at Neji. After several moments he turned once again to the memories of his time inside Naruto’s mind.

He studied the scene as it was recorded with his Sharingan. The two types of memories in Naruto’s mind were very distinct from each other. The older and ‘truer’ memories were woven into, and inseparable from, the fabric of the brain, much like striations of muscular tissue, twining around and overlapping each other.

The false memories were clustered like grapes on the left side of his brain, and while the individual events were isolated from each other, there were fine threads that connected them to the real memories on the right side.

But as he concentrated, he realized that Neji was right, there was some foreign chakra shimmering in barely visible strands throughout the clusters. He stretched his senses and focused as sharply as he could, but was unable to identify the source.

“Damn it.” He snapped off the Sharingan and gripped his hair. “What the hell difference does it make who did this, or why? Even if I figured out who did this and found a way to kill them ten thousand times, what does it matter?”

Neji didn’t miss the irony of the lifelong avenger making such a statement. It seemed that Uchiha Sasuke, at least, was healed.

“If I spent the rest of my life, I don’t think I can overcome the damage that’s been done. He’ll never trust me again.” A choked sob escaped his lips. “Every false memory was offered as love from me. How do I undo that?”

He dropped his head into his hands.

“At the Valley of the End, I told him he was lucky that he’d never had any family. That it was better to never have bonds than to have them and lose them.” He swiped at the wetness on his upper lip with the back of his hand.

“I’m such a fucking idiot. He wasn’t lucky. Because he’d never had one, he has no idea what a healthy bond is. He was willing to accept all those…that…

“I’ve been trying to convince him that he and I are family,” Sasuke continued. “Considering his exposure to families here, I wonder why the hell I thought that was good idea.

“His father stuffed a demon inside him and left him to a lifetime of suffering and misery. Your family puts a seal on the foreheads of their babies so they can kill them off at a moment’s notice.

“But my family was the worst.” Sasuke’s voice dropped to a whisper. “He idolized my family; was jealous of it. Divisive, plotting, murdering sons of bitches. He watched me spend my whole childhood working for the sole purpose of killing off my last remaining blood tie.

“And then I tried to kill him. That defined our bond and it was okay with him.” Tears clogged his throat and he had to swallow a few times before he could continue. “It was okay for me to kill him. That’s what family…what loved ones do.”

Neji finally spoke. “You know that we live in a hidden village, a ninja village. This is all normal here.”

“I wanted to show him something else.” He dropped his head again. “But now…”

“There may be something…” Neji began.

Sasuke’s head shot up. “What? Anything.”

Neji nodded. “The risks are completely unknown to me, and I have no medical training, as you know. But the consequences of doing nothing…” Neji shrugged. “Let us see first how Tsunade fares. Then we will talk and plan.”

+++

"Neji, you tell me what you saw." Tsunade gave up trying to understand Sasuke's babbling.

"As I explained to the Uchiha, there seem to be constructed...for lack of a better word...memories in the left hemisphere of Naruto's brain. From their structure and the presence of a foreign chakra, I would deduce that they have been introduced by an outside party."

"How is something like this even possible?" She rubbed her forehead. "How could an enemy accomplish this?"

"You are assuming his enemy is outside Konoha's gates and is somehow transmitting images across a distance?"

Tsunade's eyes widened. "Are you saying his attacker is here in Konoha?" Her gaze slid to Sasuke.

Neji caught her glance and continued. "The foreign chakra is faint, but from the brief time we were inside Naruto's mind, I believe I was able to establish its distinction from Naruto's own chakra, the demon's and Sasuke's."

Sasuke looked up sluggishly at the mention of his name. His entire body radiated grief.

"It is possible the images are the result of dreams," Neji continued, "but I don't think so; they have more substance and the foreign chakra was probably not manufactured by his own body."

"Then what?"

"Genjutsu." There were several moments of silence. Then Tsunade spoke again.

"As Uchiha and Hyuuga, do you believe there's any way to produce this without being in close proximity to the...victim?"

Sasuke slumped in his seat and his skin was an even more sallow shade of white. He shook his head. "No."

He was thinking about Naruto and their discussions about Kisho and the bonds he'd dared to forge again.

Sasuke had finished the book and the ending had been predictable. The girl had died after an idyllic two years. The two had managed to produce a child and in the end, Kisho had grief but was able to take comfort in and have a future with the child.

But now Sasuke was faced once again with the loss of his entire family. He had advised Naruto that the bond was the important thing and that he would gladly accept the possibility of pain for the chance to grab happiness with both hands.

He almost laughed at his stupidity. Now in hindsight, he realized that there was safety in making rash statements like that when it pertained to Naruto. Nothing was ever going to happen to him; the demon would keep him alive forever.

On the other hand, would he have given up this time with Naruto in exchange for not having this pain...again?

One thing he did know; if he did lose Naruto, he would never do this again.

"Sasuke?" The Hokage's voice was gentle. "What do you think?"

"What?" His gaze was dull and he looked as fragile as the old cob webs fluttering in the corners of the room.

"Do you think you and Neji can go in again, and then, using Sharingan record what you see," she said slowly as if she was repeating herself to a deaf person. "Then come back out and show me so we can fix this?"

"Fix this?" The muddled look in his eyes cleared somewhat.

"That's the idea. That's what we've been talking about." She put her hand over his. "I told you before, he'll be fine. I won't let it be otherwise."

+++

The next afternoon all three shinobi were sitting in an empty interrogation room, all visibly shaken.

Tsunade shook her head in disbelief. "Gods, I can't believe there is someone with this much malevolence, this much cunning within our walls and we don't know it."

“As Anbu captain, I have a rough roster in my head of our ninja and their abilities. I can think of none of them with sufficient genjutsu ability to accomplish this.”

She pulled the tie from her hair. "Whoever it is, how is this person getting so much access to Naruto with no one knowing it? Without _him_ knowing it." She sighed. "It scares me."

+++

The fabricated memories seemed to be layered, the most recent up front and the oldest far enough back as to be unreachable without removing the newer ones. Tsunade had prescribed the removal of just a few memories at a time followed by periods of observation to see what, if any, side affects Naruto would suffer. Other than some disorientation and an even more befuddled awareness of time, the process was moving fairly smoothly.

In fact, the procedure seemed to be harder on the pair inside Naruto's mind than on Naruto himself. Sasuke waffled between fury and despair as he was subjected to the false memories.

What were almost worse however were Naruto's actual memories.

Tsunade had introduced a light narcotic to help 'loosen' the thoughts in Naruto's mind. Unfortunately this caused the real memories from the right hemisphere to dance and swirl around the two dark haired shinobi all the while they worked.

As Sasuke was bombarded with images from Naruto's life, he swung from pity to profound respect. And shame. As he witnessed the almost constant struggle just to survive and the utter loneliness of Naruto's life from the very day he'd been born, he felt ashamed. He had thought he'd made the hard decision to leave Konoha for training in Sound. Now he realized that he'd been weak. And a coward.

He'd let circumstances and the wishes and deeds of others buffet him around. As he watched Naruto pick himself back up again and again and then refocus on goals that were always bound by threads of hope and optimism, he saw true courage and determination. Naruto did the hard thing...he lived _his_ life.

+++

On the fourth day, Sasuke watched a real memory play out before him, only this one was different. It was opaque, shrouded in a kind of fog. But the emotions contained within the fog were enough to force him back a step. He felt Neji move beside him.

"You've been in here before," Sasuke said, never taking his eyes from the scene before him.

Neji sighed. "Yes, I have. Almost three years ago."

They watched Naruto crying on his knees in the middle of a strange room, papers crumpled in his hands. Bottles of alcohol littered the floor around him.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Those are reward flyers from Sound."

Sasuke nodded, understanding. "He just decided to quit coming after me." He remembered his own room littered with flyers and a bottle of Sake, and the same gut wrenching tears. If Toshio hadn't been there...

Within the shroud, they watched as, after several minutes, Naruto was no longer alone in the room.

"We were patrolling on the border of Leaf and Rain. I felt his pain."

They watched the scene unfold. Neji swooped into the room through a window and rushed to his friend.

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

_"Naruto, what's happened?" Naruto flung himself into Neji's arms and wept into his chest. Neji picked up a rumpled sheaf and smoothed it open on the floor. Then he buried his face in the tan neck._

_"I am so sorry, my friend." He stroked the blond's hair and rubbed his back in gentle circles until he calmed somewhat and slid to lie back in his arms. His drunken gaze slid to Neji's hair and he reached up to play with it for several minutes._

_"Sasuke?" Neji just stared at Naruto. When Naruto slid his hand into Neji's shirt, the pale jaw worked, but he still said nothing._

_"Please tell me you came back to me." Naruto's slurred voice took on a panicked note. "Please, Sasuke…"_

_Neji stared at the wall for several moments then finally said, "Yes, I'm here."_

_Naruto became a blur of movement. He had Neji undressed and under him in moments._

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

Outside the memory, Neji reached a hand toward the fog and whispered, "It was my first...my only...

"It was glorious." He looked down, his eyes closed. "It was awful."

"Why did you cover it up?"

"I told him that I love him."

Sasuke faced the other brunette.

"He thought I was you." Neji glanced at Sasuke. "It didn't seem fair to either of you to propagate such a fabrication."

"You should unlock it."

"Absolutely not! How can you even suggest such a thing?"

"If this doesn't work, he'll never be happy with me. I don't want him to be alone again."

"Sasuke..."

"I was serious in the hospital. He deserves love and a family more than anyone I know. He'd never take it for granted like I did, or put conditions on it like your family does."

He turned back to the disquieting scene playing out before him. "You can give him that."

"Let's not discuss this now. It is premature to give up." He turned to the memory just as Naruto threw his head back and cried out, 'Sasuke.'

"If we put this in the hands of fate, I believe he will be yours again."


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Careening toward the end. Is our villain finished? Of course not.
> 
> I love being inside Naruto's head sharing his secrets, seeing the true Naruto, seeing the heartbreak that he overcame and made him who he is. We are seeing the true Sasuke also, and in my opinion his truth is buried deeper so that no one can see. That he lets Naruto see speaks volumes about his feelings for him.
> 
> Constellations played an important part in my life, but besides that, I needed to give Neji the life I deprived him of in All In. Even now, Neji's journey in All In makes me kind of sad. A one sided love is hard on both people.

Later that week, Naruto felt Neji and Sasuke leave his head. He watched Neji go to Sasuke and put his arm around his shoulder. They both looked very upset.

"What's the matter?" He struggled out of bed and went to his friends.

Sasuke looked up, his eyes red rimmed and caressed Naruto's cheek. "My gods. I would change so much of your life."

"My life?" Naruto looked confused.

"Your childhood," Sasuke said.

Naruto's face instantly reddened and he jerked back. "My childhood?"

Sasuke winced as realized what he'd done.

"I thought we were getting rid of fake memories." Naruto's voice was rising and his breath was coming faster. "What the fuck do my childhood memories have to do with this?"

Naruto was met with silence as Neji and Sasuke watched him warily, neither knowing what to say.

"Don't tell me you have access to my whole life?" Naruto covered his face with his hands. "What the fuck have you seen?"

He interrupted any answer by slamming his fist against the wall.

"You know what? Never mind. This shit stops now."

"Naruto..."

"No. I can take a lot of shit, but I can't take your pity. I won't do it."

"Naruto, we don't..."

"Don't give me your crap. You just came out of my head with tears in your eyes." Naruto's face contorted and a sob escaped him.

"Fuck," he whispered. As he stood there facing the wall, he knew what they'd seen, what memory had been floating through his relaxed mind.

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

_One moment, Naruto, filthy, hungry and cold, was looking avidly through a window into the pretty house watching the little pink haired girl eat dinner with her family, the next he was being dragged by two ninja into a room full of men._

_"We found him. Stinks to high heaven."_

_Naruto stopped struggling as an old man stood up from behind a giant desk and looked at him. The man came around and then sank to his knees in front of Naruto._

_"Uzumaki Naruto?" he said, fingering dirty blond strands._

_Naruto tried to tug his arms free, but finally slumped and nodded._

_"I'm glad we found you. It's getting cold out." He nodded to the men holding Naruto and they let go. Naruto immediately brought his little fists up in a fighting stance._

_"Have you been cold, Naruto?"_

_Naruto's arms dropped slightly in his surprise. He nodded._

_"I'm sorry you felt like you had to run away. Was Hiroto-san mean to you?"_

_Naruto shrugged. "He was mean to Ren and Yua 'cause they were nice to me."_

_"So he was bad to all the children?"_

_Naruto swiped his running nose. "Naw. Just the ones who give me food and stuff. I tried to beat him up, but he's bigger'n me."_

_"Iruka, I need some corrective counseling delivered to Hiroto from the Hokage. Can you take care of that for me?"_

_"Hai, Hokage-sama. It will be my pleasure." One of the men in the room vanished._

_"You're the Hokage?" Naruto asked, his eyes wide._

_"Yes, son, and I have a new home for you."_

_The next day, the Sandaime took Naruto to a tiny apartment and told him that this was his new home. Food would be delivered every day and clean clothes once a week. And next month Naruto would start school at the Ninja Academy._

_The Sandaime's men brought food every day, but Naruto soon learned that this situation was little different from the orphanage. One of the ninja found great amusement in propping his feet up on the kitchen table and eating the food he brought, tossing the occasional noodle on the floor for Naruto to scrape up and eat._

_Another ninja would laugh uproariously as he put a handful of rice on his shoe and insisted that the tiny boy eat while on his knees._

_The first week's laundry delivery was full of girls clothing except one bright orange jumpsuit that was way too big for him. He had the option of wearing the clothes he'd been found in, but had immediately fallen in love with this outfit and had been wearing it for two straight weeks._

_One day three ninja came and one began the usual routine of dangling a long noodle just above Naruto's head and laughing as he made him jump for it. One of the other ninja, however frowned and touched a tattoo on his shoulder._

" _Iruka? You sent for me?" The Sandaime arrived in time to see Naruto scrambling under the table for the small scraps that had been tossed under there._

_The other two ninja dropped to their knees and Naruto watched them beg for forgiveness. His mouth opened and he was filled with wonder at how the Hokage was treated._

_"Let's change your clothes," the Hokage said gently brushing his hands over the dirty orange material._

_"No!" Naruto hugged himself._

_"Do you like this jumpsuit, Naruto?" The Hokage fingered the fabric._

_"The rest of the stuff is for girls, but that's okay because this is the best clothes ever." He hugged himself again and smiled. "It makes me feel like a fox!"_

_Sandaime's eyebrows shot up. "What do you know of foxes?"_

_"I saw a picture of one once. He was all orange with white fur around his neck. He had a bunch of tails and big pointy teeth. The other kids thought he was scary, but I thought he was funny." Naruto growled and gnashed his teeth then laughed. "I dream I'm a fox every night."_

_The Hokage looked startled but just rummaged through the basket of clothing. He frowned when he, indeed, found nothing but women's clothing. His look said that some of his Anbu were about to find themselves reassigned to the desert, and they obviously knew it._

_The two on the floor bent further, putting their foreheads on the wood. "Hokage-sama, please forgive us. We were just playing with the boy. It was all in fun."_

_Naruto watched the exchange and almost cried with longing for such acknowledgement._

_"I want to be a Hokage," he whispered, tears threatening._

_The old man lifted a hand to stroke Naruto's hair several times, while Naruto held himself stiff with fear at the hand being lifted toward him._

_"You are such a special boy, Naruto, the most special boy in the world. I believe you will be Hokage someday." Naruto's eyes widened in wonder and he couldn't wait to tell everyone._

_That night after he put himself to bed, he stroked his own hair and face trying to remember every single detail of the only gentle touch he'd ever received, whispering to himself, "Special boy."_

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

Sasuke turned to Neji. "Go. I'll deal with this."

As Naruto threw his hands in the air and cried, "Now you'll _deal_ with me?" Neji nodded reluctantly and left the room.

Naruto turned away from Sasuke and leaned on the bed. "Get out."

"No."

"Get! Out! I can't take your pity."

"I don't..." Sasuke was frantic. They couldn't stop.

"How can I face you now?" The bleakness of Naruto's voice matched the pain in his eyes. "God knows what you've seen. All of my weakness..."

Sasuke spun Naruto around, gripping his arms. "I've never seen a single weakness in all the years I've known you; only strength. Strength I can't even comprehend."

Naruto just looked at the floor, his arms hanging limp.

"You want to see weakness? I can show you weakness." Sasuke shook Naruto. "Look." He shook him again. "Look! I know you can."

Naruto didn't raise his head. "Look at me, damn it!" Sasuke shouted.

Naruto raised his head. The slits in his eyes morphed from blue to gold and he found himself inside Sasuke's mind.

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

_Sasuke laughed lightly as he studied his lover; Naruto was the messiest sleeper._

_Naruto was on his stomach, his head at the wrong end of the bed. His arms and legs were taking up the entire surface of the mattress._

_Sasuke moved to his side and brushed the blond strands at Naruto's neck. Then his eyes wandered to the tattoo on his back._

_He crawled carefully onto the bed so as not to wake Naruto, then knelt at the blond's side. He leaned close and studied the creation in the afternoon light, occasionally brushing sections that tempted him to see if he could feel them under his lips or fingertips._

_He closed his eyes and remembered sitting in his cold, dank room in Sound, yearning for this very thing, this very battle. On a couple of occasions he'd heard some commotion or other and let himself hope for several brief seconds that Naruto had come. Hoped that his friend was there to rescue him, making him change the decision he'd made. Prayed that Naruto was even then, killing the Sannin, forcing Sasuke to turn from the road he'd taken._

_For many minutes he would let his secret heart yearn for someone to wrest his life from him again and take control, setting him on a new path, absolving him of the old decisions as well as the new._

_At those times, he'd never felt like more of a child and hated the universe that he couldn't be one._

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

_"Kill me!" Sasuke flung himself at his brother in a hospital hallway._

_Of course, what came out of his mouth was, "I'll kill you," but either result was okay with Sasuke._

_Die or kill; he was willing to do anything to end this pain. The space inside him was such an ugly place. It was dark and filled with fear and grief and anger. He physically hurt all the time, although no one knew it because, with hands clenched in his pockets, he'd shut everyone out._

_He'd had to. Something was going to happen to this new group he'd begun to think of as family, and then he'd lose his sanity. Better to end it now, before he became what he saw standing down the hallway by Naruto's door; his brother._

_"Kill me..."_

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

_"Come with me."_

_Sasuke watched the tiny sun dance around his face, brush his cheek as though a kiss._

_That wasn't what it was saying, though._

_"Goodbye."_

_But Sasuke's heart heard what it needed to hear. What he needed to justify his next actions._

_Once again in his life, he asked, begged, someone else to make his decisions for him. And since it was Naruto this time, he had to comply. He could deny his beloved nothing._

_Besides, who would care? And if Naruto wanted to take him to task in the beyond, he'd accept it. It was a small price to avoid another loss that would take his very soul._

_So, relief enough to fill the universe coursed through him and he pressed the blade to his forearm._

" _Wait for me."_

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

_Sasuke sat at the top of the tallest pine and cried. This with Naruto was falling apart and he knew why; Naruto had finally seen the real Sasuke and had come to his senses. Naruto had finally realized how unworthy Sasuke really was._

_Sasuke thought about all his efforts to end to own life or let others end it for him, and how Naruto was always there either in person or as a light in his heart, stopping him. Naruto, who carried the burden of the entire world. Naruto, who was as alone as he was, and who also hurt._

_They both had been knocked down, again and again. Sasuke let others pick him up and choose his next destination; let others use him for their purposes._

_Naruto had picked himself up and refocused himself over and over toward the same goal, one of his choosing, allowing no one to use him, ever._

_The world should love Naruto, not in spite of the demon, but because of the demon. He protected them with every fiber of his being. Anyone else would succumb to the lure of that power, using it for personal gain. But Naruto would end his own life before he would let that happen. With the demon, he could buy love and fear and respect from the world, but instead chose the noble road, yearning for acknowledgment and affection for the human boy instead._

_And this miraculous person had chosen Sasuke to love, had taken that warm sunshine and poured it down on his undeserving head._

_Sasuke, a prickly, worthless sponge, had selfishly taken it, soaking it all up._

_Naruto was giving him the chance, the freedom, to become a better man, and, selfish bastard that he was, he was taking it, letting Naruto be his beacon, lighting the path._

_Show me... Help me... Save me... Love me..._

_In return...in return...I have nothing. I am nothing._

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

Naruto left Sasuke's mind and found that they were sitting on the floor, Sasuke in his lap. Tears were running down the pale face.

"Now you've seen true weakness. I'm nothing compared to you."

"No..." Naruto shook his head in denial.

"Do you hate me now?" Sasuke interrupted.

Naruto slid his fingers into Sasuke's hair. "I only love you. That's all. I just love you; all of you."

"I want you to see something else." Sasuke sniffed and swiped at his cheeks.

Naruto cocked his head, then nodded and reentered Sasuke's mind.

This memory had stood out more than all the others, good or bad. When it had swirled around him, the measurelss feelings of love coming from Naruto had brought him to his knees and tears of absolute joy had streamed down his face.

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

_Sasuke remembered Naruto coming and telling him there was going to be a lunar eclipse and wondered if he'd like to watch it from that tall pine on the edge of the property._

_Sasuke had been tired but the evening was warm and the idea of leaning back against his beloved, listening to the sounds of the night wrapped in his arms seemed like the perfect ending to the day._

_He hadn't remembered the eclipse because he'd fallen asleep. The beat of Naruto's heart at his back and the warmth of his breath on his neck had lulled him to sleep within minutes of finding a comfortable spot._

_But from the memory Sasuke had seen in Naruto’s mind, Sasuke had learned that Naruto hadn't watched the eclipse either. He'd pulled Sasuke so he could watch his face as he slept. Naruto had sifted his fingers through Sasuke's hair and basked in the joy of feeling that he was not alone, that he was part of someone else's life._

_Then in his sleep, Sasuke's lips had twitched. Unguarded and obviously dreaming of happiness, Sasuke had smiled. Then he'd smiled again, a tiny noise, laughter, accompanying the smile._

_A sob of joy had escaped Naruto. Such a wave of love and longing had filled him at seeing Sasuke's secret, genuine happiness. Tears of ecstasy had spilled over and Naruto couldn't ever remember being this at peace in his whole life._

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

Naruto pulled out of Sasuke's mind and they just looked at each other for several seconds, clinging to each other.

"I wanted to show you that for a reason. Because I feel the same way." He put his hands on Naruto's cheeks needing to show his own immeasurable love. "Look."

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

_Naruto and Sasuke were in bed. Sasuke had maneuvered himself into a position of submission and Naruto could feel his struggle to get Naruto to take the hint and take control of him._

_Naruto was always hesitant, not one hundred percent sure Sasuke could be happy being dominated. But as Naruto experienced Sasuke's perspective, he felt Sasuke's burning need for Naruto to take control._

_Naruto could feel Sasuke's yearning to give himself over fully and slip into the world of pure sensation his lover was trying to create. But only with Naruto would this work. Only with Naruto would he feel utter safety. Only with Naruto could he disappear from the cold world and burn in ecstasy. Only with Naruto could he let his brain fog over completely, allowing his world to shrink to the ends of Naruto's fingertips, the warm wetness of his tongue, the heat of his breath._

_It was unfair, he knew. Sex, love, such as theirs could make one vulnerable. If Naruto would let him, he could completely vanish from the substantial world; Akatsuki could show up in their bedroom and he would die before he realized that he was even in danger. Even knowing it was unfair, he was asking anyway, begging for it. He asked Naruto to give this to him. Because he was a taker. And Naruto was a giver._

_Finally Naruto had decided this was really what Sasuke wanted. He wrested control from his lover's token resistance and made the world go away._

_The utter trust and elemental love Sasuke felt for Naruto at these times bathed the blond in warmth and light. Sasuke's joy and gratitude for this second chance, this freedom to be himself wholly and completely, with no judgments, no ridicule, burned in him like a living flame. They would be one now and always if Sasuke's breath and blood could make it so._

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

This time when Naruto left Sasuke's mind, Sasuke was still in his lap, but his arms and legs were wrapped around him.

"Do you see?" Sasuke said quietly. "I love you and respect you and need you. There's nothing I could see that would change how I feel. I think you're perfect and wouldn't change anything about you.

"Here's one final weakness," Sasuke whispered. "I can't live without you. So I'll do whatever it takes to fix this. If I can't have your permission, I'll just do it anyway and beg your forgiveness later."

+++

"Hey, Dobe, how are you feeling today?" Sasuke sat on the edge of the bed and sifted his fingers through Naruto's hair. "How's the headache?"

"Okay, I gues..." His voice faded and his gaze lost focus. This happened frequently. Tsunade explained that he was probably have fleeting images from the right side of his brain that went nowhere because the corresponding memory on the left side was gone. She thought this would lessen in time.

"Can I lie with you, or do you want me to sit somewhere?"

"Uhm, can you hold me while we talk?" Naruto blushed.

"I'd like that." Sasuke crawled in the bed and wrapped his arms around Naruto, cradling the blond head to his shoulder.

This had become the routine, the deal they'd made. Sasuke had argued and begged. Finally he negotiated. Open communication was the card that had won the hand.

Sasuke and Neji would work to restore Naruto's mind and then Sasuke would tell Naruto everything about the memories that were removed and the real memories they'd also encountered. Then they'd talk about them if Naruto wanted. After that Sasuke would share an even number of his own memories and feelings, even if they embarrassed Sasuke, and even if Naruto didn't like them.

So, after each extrication, Sasuke would tell Naruto everything he'd seen, real and false. Then he would talk. And talk some more, about whatever came to mind, usually until Naruto fell asleep.

When they first started working in Naruto's mind, it was so crowded Neji and Sasuke could barely work.

There was a constant barrage of harsh sounds, screaming and howling. Memories swirled and slid, crashing into them and each other. The two shinobi were buffeted by Naruto's intense emotions as they struggled to make headway.

The overriding feeling in the blond was the desperate wish for death.  Almost without exception, every active memory, real or false was bad. Also, they discovered how much physical pain tortured Naruto. Shooting bolts of agony speared through his skull constantly.

Their friend had spiraled into a permanent state of exhaustion, fear and anxiety. A huge weight of depression had settled over him and he just wanted everything to be over.

In the beginning, the two had to keep the treatments short, and they had to keep an eye on each other. One would invariably find the other becoming lethargic as Naruto's sense of hopelessness dragged them into a pit of despair.

Then after the extractions, Sasuke would sit with Naruto and as he watched Naruto sleep, the sound of breathing and the feel of his hair under his fingers would give him strength. He would find his center; determination and hope would be restored.

One afternoon, Tsunade pulled him aside.

"Any clues as to who did this?" She asked the same question every day. He shook his head.

She nodded then said, "I'm worried about Neji."

"Neji?" Sasuke looked across the cafeteria and spotted the Hyuuga. His own thoughts had been on nothing but Naruto for days and he was surprised at what he saw.

The other brunette was slumped over a cup of tea. His skin was pale and his hair hung in dull clumps around his face. He must have felt eyes on him, because just then he looked up. Sasuke flinched at the hell he saw in the other's eyes. He recognized the look immediately; he felt it every morning after leaving Naruto's mind. He recognized the effects of dealing with the crushing depression and the reverberations of the physical pain. He recognized the result of feeling the enormity of the task as well as the uncertainty that what they were doing would even work.

Talking with Naruto and holding him each afternoon helped ground Sasuke and prepare him for another round each morning. But Neji was going home to any empty apartment. His last thoughts each day were the horrific sounds of agonized screaming. His first thoughts each morning were of his best friend's fervent wish for death.

Sasuke nodded at Tsunade. "I'll see if I can help."

That morning, after they had made an unknown amount of progress, Neji rose to leave.

"Hyuuga, if you have time, I think it would be helpful if you stayed."

"How so?"

"I would ask another very difficult service of you."

Neji looked as though he would balk without even knowing what was being asked. Since Sasuke knew that Neji would give his life for Naruto without thinking about it, he took it as a sign of the duress under which Neji was suffering.

"You may already know that Naruto has put stipulations on this course of treatment."

"Such as?"

"Since I have access to his most private thoughts and memories, I am now obliged to dump my brain and heart out into his lap every morning to balance the scales."

Neji smirked halfheartedly. "My sympathies. How can I help?"

"Naruto's aware that you are also in his mind every morning. Since you always leave right away, I think he believes you have no further wish to be his friend."

Neji sat up straight. "That's not true. I was trying to give you privacy. To give you a chance to repair…"

"I know that. Perhaps under normal circumstances, he would know that, as well." Sasuke stood. "You have already done more than anyone has a right to ask, but Neji," he waited until Neji looked up. "He needs you."

He felt badly about manipulating his friend, and indeed, Neji had become his friend, but the thought of him taking another day's lot of tragedies home with him to his lonely apartment hardened his resolve.

"Join me. Us."


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Are we out of the woods in Naruto's recovery? I wonder...

Naruto looked up as Neji and Sasuke entered the room. The pain in his head was considerably less today and his first reaction at seeing Neji was delight. He almost smiled until he realized that Neji had been in his mind too, witness to every thought and fantasy and weakness he'd ever had. He deflated.

Sasuke had seen the spark of life come and go, and gathered his resolve around him. He draped his arm across Neji's shoulders and ushered him into the room. After pushing the older brunette in a seat, he stopped at Naruto's chair and placed a tender kiss on his lips. Then he hopped up to sit on the edge of the bed.

"I've convinced Neji to join our little sharing circle," Sasuke said lightly. "At first he seemed reluctant," Sasuke continued with an affectionately disgruntled tone. "But I convinced him that many shinobi prefer pink undergarments."

Something about Sasuke's delivery and the look on Neji's face caught Naruto just right and a bark of laughter escaped him. Sasuke hadn't heard such a thing in so long that his breath caught and a lump formed in his throat. He pushed it aside, however and continued.

"In fact, I assured him that there was at least one ninja who walks around in orange boxers decorated with green frogs."

"Of course," Neji said smoothly, "I informed Uchiha that I patently don't believe that. No self respecting ninja would be caught dead in such garments." Another bark of laughter escaped Naruto.

Neji stayed for a couple of hours and, only in the interest of medical science, he insisted, did he share several incidents embarrassing enough to make Naruto blush.

Finally Neji stood to leave, his bucket of dignity much lighter. He shook Naruto's hand and Sasuke walked him to the hall.

"Thank you, Neji."

"No, thank you. Can I join you again soon?"

Sasuke snorted. "I expect your ass in that chair every day from now until this is over."

Sasuke fidgeted uncharacteristically for a moment. "I really don't want to keep rehashing this, but I want you to know that I really, truly wish there was…"

"Stop. I've lost nothing. I can't lose what I never had." He held his hand out and Sasuke took it in a firm grip.

"But I have gained something unexpected. My life is richer for it."

Sasuke squeezed his hand. "Mine as well." He released Neji's hand. "Now get some sleep tonight and we'll hit it again in the morning."

His heart was lighter as he watched Neji leave with a small smile on his face.

+++

Naruto looked warily at Sasuke as the brunette crawled into bed and knelt over him, his hands planted on either side of his head.

"Konoha Meeting Hall? Tch! More like Leaf Stadium."

"Huh?"

Sasuke raised a brow but said nothing.

"Oh." Naruto suddenly understood what Sasuke had viewed this morning. His face reddened.

"Are you mad?"

"Hn." Sasuke eyed him for another second then covered Naruto's lips with his own.

"I think I might actually have some relatives out there."

Naruto relaxed, then snickered. "I thought so, too."

+++

After another several days, Naruto's mind had calmed greatly. They estimated that they had eliminated slightly more than half of the false memories. The space that was the visualization of the blond's mind was much less cluttered.

Thanks to the narcotics, Naruto's real memories continued to pop up randomly and swirl around them, although in a less frantic manner.

Neji found Sasuke frozen in place one morning just before they quit for the day.

"Neji, look."

The Hyuuga followed Sasuke's gaze to the scenes that had gripped him.

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

_The blond and the brunette were leaning shoulder to shoulder against the Uchiha border wall, taking a break from pulling weeds. The scene had a calm tranquility as Naruto held Sasuke's hand and played absently with his fingers._

" _You smell like fish."_

_Naruto pouted playfully. "Tell you what. I promise not to tell anyone that you like to bake if you promise not to tell anyone that I fell into the Koi pond."_

" _Are we bargaining for just this time, or does it also include the other three times you fell in?" Naruto laughed out loud._

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

" _Naruto, do you know what this is?"_

" _A sock?"_

" _Half right, usuratonkachi. It's an inside-out sock." Sasuke shook the sock toward Naruto's face. "I've asked you a dozen times to turn your socks right side out before throwing them in the laundry."_

_Naruto blinked. Then blinked again. "You called me in from rounds to talk to me about socks..."_

" _Do you think I like sticking my hand inside your dirty socks?"_

" _So don't do my socks."_

" _I have to. You're too busy capturing, processing and interrogating every fruit fly that has the misfortune of wandering into Uchiha airspace."_

_Naruto just looked at Sasuke a moment, then reached for a sock on top of the pile and slid it over his hand. He calmly twisted it and tucked it around his thumb and fingers until it resembled a featureless little head._

_He brought it to his ear and looked at the ceiling, nodding, as the little woolen mouth worked for several moments._

" _Yeah. Uh huh. I see." Naruto said, then shrugged. "Well, it's your call. A sock's gotta do what a sock's gotta do."_

_Naruto looked at Sasuke impassively._

" _Mr. Sock," he turned the stinky little face toward Sasuke, "says to quit nagging before he punches you in your vagina."_

_Sasuke couldn't help it. A snort of laughter escaped him. Then another. Then another._

_After a moment he had collapsed into the laundry basket, his laughter wheezing in and out of his chest._

_._ **XXX XXX XXX XXX**

_Sasuke was walking, naked, from the bathroom to the bedroom after his shower. Naruto was sitting on the couch finishing a mission report._

" _Hey you."_

_Sasuke paused and raised an eyebrow in Naruto's direction._

" _Yeah. You with the bangin' body."_

_Sasuke's lip twitched._

" _You like festivals?"_

_Sasuke raised his other brow._

_Naruto rubbed his crotch._ " _There's one going on here."_

_Sasuke walked over to the couch. "There's a festival in your shorts?"_

_Naruto nodded, a sensuous smirk on his face._

" _Are you sure it's a festival and not a freak show?"_

" _Yep." Naruto shifted his hips and rubbed some more. "Home of the…biggest…thrillingest…ride on earth," Naruto drawled._

" _Aren't festival rides for children?"_

" _Not this one." Naruto held his hand up to Sasuke's twitching dick. "You have to be this tall to ride and it's not recommended for the elderly, sick, pregnant or feint of heart."_

" _So it's a rough ride?" Sasuke said, biting his cheek._

" _Smooth as glass. What do you say? Want to take a spin before the line forms?"_

_Sasuke couldn't answer because he was biting his cheek, his eyes watering._

" _Or, if you prefer…fireworks, I can show you fireworks."_

**XXX XXX XXX XXX**

"He makes me laugh." Sasuke whispered to Neji. "I can't go back to a life without that."

+++

That afternoon, Naruto slept from the moment Neji had left until early evening. His sleep seemed deep and peaceful.

Finally he stirred and as he stretched languidly, Sasuke perched on the edge of the bed. After settling back into the pillow with a yawn, Naruto opened his eyes. Then he smiled sleepily up at Sasuke.

"Hey, bastard." His voice was sleep roughened as he reached out and ran a finger down Sasuke's arm.

A choked sound burst from Sasuke and tears spilled over his lashes. Naruto sat up and gripped his shoulders.

"What's wrong?"

Sasuke pulled Naruto into his arms and buried his head in the warm neck.

"You smiled." He held the blond head close.

Sasuke got his first real night's sleep in months wrapped in Naruto's arms, his head where he could hear each slow, steady beat of his lover's heart.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back... Long chapter.

As they cleared more memories and made more room, a side effect presented itself. Nearly half of the false memories had had to be cut away from the right hemisphere; they'd been linked by pathways created by Naruto himself. As the blond had rehashed many of the fabrications during real time, they had, by definition, become grounded in real memories.

The first time they had experienced the effect, they had been forcefully evicted from Naruto's mind. The blond had stumbled across a real memory with a dangling thread that now led nowhere. The confusion had caused agitation that grew until a surge of adrenalin washed Sasuke and Neji from his system.

Sasuke then experienced this phenomenon from the outside of Naruto's mind. He watched as his friend looked at him with fear, then distrust and finally a cool distance.

Neji noticed this as well. During their morning talks, Naruto would focus more and more on Neji and only look as Sasuke with furtive glances.

"I will not be joining you for the next few days."

Sasuke stood at the window in the Hokage's office, his head resting against the window overlooking the city. He said nothing.

"We've tried to be true to an approach of honesty and open communication," Neji pressed. "The tone is too light when I am in the room and you need to talk to him."

Sasuke still said nothing.

"He won't open that far if both of us are there." More silence and Neji could almost taste the exhaustion and defeat radiating from Sasuke.

"Fine, Uchiha. I'll talk with him."

Sasuke didn't even raise his head from the glass.

+++

"I would speak to you about Sasuke." Neji got right to the point.

"Oh." Neji could feel Naruto's anxiety increase.

"I know that you are no longer able to function on a team effectively." He looked at Naruto, who flushed and shrugged. "But, I didn't think that extended to abandoning your comrades to the enemy."

Naruto gasped. "I would never..."

"You have," Neji said sternly.

Naruto's mouth opened to argue, then his eyes widened. "I...have?"

"I would go a step further and accuse you of siding with the enemy against Sasuke and me."

"Neji," Naruto gasped again and gripped Neji's arms. "I would never…I didn't mean..." His voice cracked.

Neji looked at him, his face impassive, sympathy nowhere to be found.

"I will acknowledge that this enemy is unusual and his methods are...insidious, but he is, nonetheless, an enemy of Konoha."

Naruto's mouth was open, his eyes wide.

"Sasuke, Tsunade and I have fought this enemy for weeks, this enemy who would steal Konoha's two most valued ninja, and you are helping him."

"Gods, Neji, you're right." Naruto dropped his face into his hands. "I haven't even been trying. I've let you three do everything."

He looked up and leaned toward his friend. "Neji, forgive me. I'll help. I promise."

Neji studied him a moment and nodded. He took Naruto's hand. "You are our wounded comrade. Your help is above and beyond the call of duty, but if you will, at least, not stand between us and the enemy, I believe we can defeat him."

Naruto winced. "Where's Sasuke? Has he given up on me?"

"I am worried for him. I see him looking toward the gates. I feel his longing for a mission, one final mission that he believes will put an end to pain for both of you."

"No!" Naruto threw his blanket aside. "I have to go to him."

Neji nodded as Naruto got out of bed and jerked the IV out of his arm. "I'll cover for you."

Naruto pulled on clothes and sent his chakra out to locate his lover. Sasuke was outside the hospital under a stand of shade trees.

Naruto found him sitting at a picnic table, his head lying on his folded arms.

"Hey, bastard," Naruto said, sitting next to him.

"Hn." Sasuke didn't look at him. Naruto really looked at Sasuke for the first time in weeks; he looked horrible. He'd lost weight, his skin was pale and Naruto felt the sluggish flow of his chakra.

Naruto felt ashamed. He'd been looking only at himself for such a long time, unaware, and honestly, unconcerned about those around him.

"This is some enemy, huh? The old hag ought to consider recruiting him to our side once we find him." Sasuke didn't even move.

"To be able to do such a number on two of the strongest ninja in the world..." Naruto picked at a splinter on the table.

Sasuke sat up and looked toward the gates, still saying nothing.

"Of course, he's had the advantage of having me on his side."

Sasuke looked at him sharply.

"Sasuke, can you forgive me for abandoning you on the battlefield?" Naruto leaned forward, his eyes pleading.

"Naruto..." Sasuke turned to him fully.

"Neji just got done beating me around the head and shoulders for being such a lousy comrade. Such a lousy friend."

"Neji?"

Naruto nodded. He pressed his forehead to Sasuke's, tangling his fingers in the dark hair at his neck.

"What do you say we kick this mother fucker's ass?"

Sasuke closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Naruto's neck. "Dobe..."

Pre-battle adrenaline moved through Naruto's veins and he felt a rush of anticipation fill him.

"You got my back?" he asked grinning.

"Hell, yes," Sasuke answered, his voice watery. "You got mine?"

Naruto pressed their foreheads together.

"Balls to the wall, baby," he whispered.

+++

This shift in perspective turned everything around; Naruto was a warrior after all. And he loved Sasuke with everything he had. This became, in his mind, a threat to his lover's life and happiness and he was ready to battle that to the death.

Every time a piece of insecurity or doubt would surface, he'd search his mind for the source and when he found nothing, he'd growl at the room in general and snatch Sasuke into his arms and kiss the living daylights out of him.

"Take that, you fucker, whoever you are!"

They were getting to the end of the mass of clustered memories when one afternoon Sasuke walked into the hall with Neji.

"I don't know how to thank you," Sasuke said.

"His happiness is thanks enough," Neji answered. Then he studied Sasuke for a moment.

"I wonder if I might ask a favor." He stepped into Sasuke's space.

"Of course."

Neji took one more step until his chest touched Sasuke's.

Sasuke's eyebrows rose as Neji pressed their lips together. Suddenly he knew what Neji was doing. He wrapped his arms around the other brunette and kissed him with all the passion he could muster.

After several seconds, Neji pulled away, swaying slightly. They both felt Neji's erection brushing Sasuke's hip.

"Did you find the answer you were looking for?" Sasuke pushed Neji's hair back, his eyes twinkling.

"Ye..." Neji cleared his throat. "Yes." He stepped back and adjusted his pant leg.

"I've talked to the Godaime about filling the position that will be open when Naruto becomes Hokage."

"That's the most dangerous job there is." Sasuke frowned.

"Thanks to Naruto, I am well trained. And I feel the need to see what is beyond Konoha's boundaries. I feel there might be...more."

+++

"Hey, Dobe." Sasuke poked his head around the door. "I have a surprise for you." Then he caught the presence of Naruto's sage enhanced chakra.

"What are you doing?" He walked over to the bed and watched as a single shuriken quivered and flipped in mid air.

"Sharpening my weapons."

Sasuke leaned in and moved his head to study the weapon at different angles. He could feel the air moving around it, so dense as to feel almost solid. As he looked closer, he noticed a tiny drop of water moving along the blade.

"Water?"

"Yeah. Check it out." He grasped the blade and held it up to Sasuke, pointing to the gleaming edges. "See, with water I can grind a hollow bevel on each blade section. It doesn't really affect the spin or the speed through the air, but when it hits the target, it digs in deeper and changes direction. Does more damage that way. Haven't found a hand tool that works half as well."

Sasuke moved in, his eyelids drooping. "Gods, you turn me on."

"What?" Naruto laughed.

"Watching you do things that I can barely comprehend..." He leaned in until their noses were touching and whispered in a husky voice, "It makes my knees weak."

A slumberous look entered Naruto's eyes and he pressed one of Sasuke's hands to his crotch. "You affect some of my body parts, too."

Sasuke's breath hitched and his eyes slid the rest of the way closed. "Naruto..."

' _Keep your enemies closer.'_ "Ahem."

Sasuke pulled back and smirked. "Oh yeah, I have a surprise for you."

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto shoved Sasuke out of his way and leaped off the bed, pulling his IV pole over and dragging it across the floor.

"Show a little enthusiasm, Dobe, or you're going to hurt her feelings."

Naruto laughed. "Sakura-chan, I am so happy to see you." He grabbed her off the ground and spun them in circles. When he set her down, they were both wrapped in IV tubing and Sakura was laughing and shrieking.

Sasuke helped untangle them and finally Naruto was standing before her, holding her hands and simply beaming.

"You look great. Isn't she beautiful, Sasuke?"

Sasuke ran his hand down the back of her hair and kissed her cheek. "She is."

"She's the prettiest girl in Konoha."

"Alright, enough, I forgot my waders." Sakura smacked Naruto in the chest, then pushed her fingers through his hair.

"How's my boy. I understand you haven't been feeling well."

Naruto pulled back and shrugged. "Naw, I'm fine. Kyuubi's just not playing nice. Giving me a pain in my ass." He rubbed the back of his neck. "But Neji and Sasuke are kicking his ass."

None of the story was even remotely true, but Sasuke let Naruto divulge whatever he wanted to the konoichi.

Naruto thoroughly enjoyed Sakura's visit and she promised to come every day. The third day, Sasuke and Neji came into the room so that all four could have dinner together. They found Sakura sitting on Naruto's bed.

"Now just follow it." Naruto and Sakura sat across from each other cross legged. They were holding hands and Sakura had her eyes closed.

"Wait, you're going too fast," Sakura said.

"Ok, catch up. I'll go slower."

"There it is. It feels weird."

"It won't later. Next time you'll be able to do this without following my chakra marker."

"What are they doing?" Neji asked Sasuke, who just shrugged and leaned quietly against the wall.

"You're going too fast again."

"Sorry. See it now?"

"Yes."

"You're doing great, Sakura-chan."

"Oh! Oh! I've got it. I feel it." She squeezed his hands and her whole body tensed with excitement.

"Now just do what feels natural."

Sakura's concentration could be seen in her whole body, and then the air around the pair swirled and blew their hair around their faces.

"You did it!"

Sakura opened her eyes and looked stunned.

"I did it. And wind isn't even my element."

"I told you, you're a strong ninja." Sasuke and Neji came all the way into the room.

"You made it seem easy," she said.

Naruto laughed. "You should have seen Kakashi-sensei trying to teach this to me." Naruto pretended to hold a book in front of his face. Then he waved his arm distractedly to his side. "Your element is wind. Tear a leaf.

"I just stood there with absolutely no idea what to do. Half an hour later, Yamato was asleep and Kakashi yelled, 'I don't feel anything yet.'

"I stood there and worked and strained like I was trying to lay an egg for two hours. After the first day, my chakra was so bound up they had to carry me home."

Sakura was laughing. "You did a much better job. You taught me in less than half an hour, egg free." She caressed his cheek. "You should consider staying in Konoha more and taking a team of Genin."

"Me?" Naruto sputtered. "And kids?"

"I think that is an excellent idea," Neji added.

"I don't think kids would like me. With the demon and all, well, I'm too...scary."

All three laughed.

"Naruto, I hate to break it to you, but you aren't the least bit scary." Sakura patted his leg.

Naruto turned to Neji looking completely affronted. Neji shook his head. "I'm sorry, my friend."

"Sasuke?"

"I have one word for you; orphans." Naruto's mouth opened and then closed, a surprised look covering his face.

Part way through dinner during which Naruto just picked at his food, Sasuke caught Naruto wincing. He lingered after the other two had left. "Your head is hurting you again?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck but didn't answer.

Sasuke crawled up behind him and dug his thumbs into the blond's shoulder muscles. The little moaning noises coming from Naruto were driving him crazy and before he knew it, he was completely hard.

He scooted forward and rubbed his erection against Naruto's ass. "Feel good?" He whispered in Naruto's ear.

"Mmm."

"Naruto." He slid his arms around so he could feel the smooth skin of Naruto's torso under his palms. "Can I sleep here tonight?"

He nibbled on an earlobe. "I miss you. I miss falling asleep on your chest, your arms wrapped around me."

He felt Naruto scoot closer. "I miss waking up to your heartbeat under my ear." Naruto's head fell back onto his shoulder and he was breathing through his mouth.

"Naruto, you're my best friend, my family and I love you so much." He waited for the blond to tense at those words and was elated when he didn't.

Sasuke moved from behind his friend and pushed him to lie down. "Do you still love me?"

Naruto looked up at him earnestly. "Oh yes, more than anything. Always."

"We're going to be okay then. As long as you love me, we can work the rest out." Sasuke brushed their lips in a light caress. Naruto reached into his hair and pulled him down for a full kiss.

Their tongues tangled slowly and Sasuke slid down to lie along Naruto's full length. Naruto was participating fully in the kiss and Sasuke's heart was soaring. He flexed his hips several times, grinding his full erection against Naruto's hip and slid his hand down toward Naruto's groin.

Sasuke almost cried out in his joy; Naruto was completely erect. He pushed his hand into Naruto's sleep pants, gripped the hot skin firmly and pumped in the way he knew aroused his lover.

His hips were thrusting in time to his strokes and he was panting into Naruto's neck.

"Fuck me." Sasuke rolled and pulled Naruto on top of him. "Please."

Then he did his very best to keep the anguish off his face as he felt Naruto deflate. When he thought he could manage it, he slid his fingers into the blond hair and asked in a normal voice, "Tell me?"

"I don't want to...hurt you?"

"You've never hurt me."

"I..."

"You have never hurt me even once in all the years I've known you. And since we've been together, you've never given me anything less than ecstasy."

"I'm not too...rough? Too big?"

"What do you remember?"

Naruto scrunched his eyes shut for several seconds, wincing. Then he shook his head. "Nothing, I guess."

"That's because it never happened." Sasuke rubbed soothing patterns everywhere he could reach. "There is nothing I love more than having and holding you inside me." He pulled Naruto's head down to his shoulder. "But even if we never work our way back to that, it's okay. I want to be together for the rest of our lives. You are my best friend."

"Why did this happen?" Naruto sighed. "Who would do this? To what purpose?"

"I don't know. I was hoping we'd figure it out. But I'm learning two things."

"What?"

"One, life is full of unanswered questions. And two, having the answers doesn't change them. I don't think knowing who or why would change where we are right now."

Sasuke sighed. "Although, maybe if I'd looked for answers sooner..."

"Stop. This is not your fault. If anything, it's mine." Naruto shook his head. "Strongest ninja? Bullshit. I let myself be taken by a genjutsu for months, and don't even have the faculties to know who did it."

Sasuke didn't disagree. "That's the most confusing part of this. You _are_ the strongest ninja with Kyuubi enhanced senses. I can't even comprehend how this could happen. What kind of enemy could accomplish this? Personally, I haven't ruled out the demon."

Naruto snuggled into Sasuke's side, sounding drowsy. "I don't know." He yawned. "Doesn't feel like it to me."

Naruto drifted asleep and Sasuke noted the look of pain that returned to his face when his guard was down.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I got dinged on this chapter by one reader when I first posted it years ago because I gave no warning....so...there is a bit of non-con in this chapter.
> 
> Sakura is getting pretty far afield in terms of OOC, but, hey, I didn't make her a big-hearted, chain smoking, gun toting, fighter pilot with "Bride of Christ" tattooed on her wide forehead.

"Sakura's coming in a while. Want me to catch her and tell her not to visit today?" Sasuke roused Naruto, who had thrashed and groaned all night.

The blond shook his head and sat up. "No, I'm up."

As he looked at his friend, Sasuke considered overriding that and sending the konoichi home. Naruto looked like shit this morning.

"What do you want for breakfast?"

"I'm not hungry." He hadn't looked at Sasuke yet.

"Naruto..."

"I'm sorry."

Sasuke took a deep breath. "No, it's fine. We'll just have a big lunch." He watched Naruto wince and swallow thickly.

"Oh, yeah, okay."

Just then there was a tap on the door. Sakura poked her head in.

"Everyone decent?"

Sasuke felt a stab of jealousy as Naruto's face brightened.

"Hey, beautiful. How are you today?"

 _'Keep your enemies closer.'_ She came over and caressed his cheek. "Good. I thought I might read to you today." She held up a book. "You looked so tired yesterday."

"That's great, as long as you don't mind."

"Don't be silly." She ruffled his hair.

Sasuke caught her eye and motioned her to the hall.

"Keep an eye on him, okay? And call me if..." He shrugged. "Anything."

She pulled Sasuke into a hug. "It'll be fine, Sasuke." He sagged into her arms and she squeezed him. "Who's taking care of you?"

"Me? There's nothing wrong with me."

She raised a brow and looked skeptical. He flushed.

"Nothing that won't be fixed when this is all over."

She made herself let go. "Go home and rest. I'll call you if he needs you."

Sasuke grasped her hands and pressed his lips to her brow. "Thank you for everything."

+++

"Sasuke!" Sasuke struggled awake.

"Sasuke, wake up!" The first thing Sasuke realized what that daylight was fading. He shot up and realized that Neji was in his bedroom.

"What?"

"You never returned to the hospital." Neji threw Sasuke his pants. "Sakura's been there all day."

He threw a wrinkled shirt. "She's been trying to call you. You'd better come now."

Sasuke felt bile rise in his throat. Ten seconds later he and Neji arrived in Naruto's room.

Sakura sat on the edge of Naruto's bed, stroking his hair. "I sent my chakra to you several times. I guess you were busy."

Sasuke rushed to the side of the bed and leaned over Naruto.

"Naruto?" The blond was ashen, his eyes dull.

"Hurts…" He stared at the wall. "Help me end this. Please."

"What the fuck happened?" Sasuke yelled.

"Where were you?" Neji asked.

"I was tired. I fell asleep."

"My fault," Naruto said. "…ruining his life."

Sasuke looked at Neji. "We're going in now."

Neji nodded and guided Sakura to a chair across the room.

As soon as the pair was inside Naruto's mind, Sasuke gripped his hair and cried out. "Where did all this come from? This wasn't here two days ago."

The chanting and screaming, 'I will love you until the day you die,' was back in full force. And the left hemisphere was crowded with bubbles and swirling images.

~~~###~~~

_"It's always something with you, isn't it?"_

~~~###~~~

_"I need a break from all this."_

~~~###~~~

_"I guess you just need all the attention on you."_

~~~###~~~

"These are brand new!" he yelled and pointed to the closest one. "This is in this very room!"

While Sasuke ranted in a panic, Neji stood and tried to examine this new landscape calmly. Yes, these were added within the last days. They were in a secure area of the hospital. If they were right and this could only be done in close proximity, that meant the only people who could be doing this were Sasuke, Tsunade, himself, or...

Sakura! But how? She was a Haruno; she didn’t have genjutsu ability, at least of this level. But he was certain it was her. He felt like an idiot for not having deduced this weeks ago. It was all as clear as a bell now. He turned to tell Sasuke and found the other brunette staring at him with utter hatred and was growling.

"Did you do this to him?"

Before Neji could utter a word, Sasuke raised his arm and Neji knew what was coming. Chidori!

"Not in here!" he yelled as he was moving. Chidori inside Naruto's mind would surely kill him. It might kill all three of them. But in his grief, Sasuke was beyond rational thought.

Neji rushed forward and grabbed Sasuke's arm. It was already charging with electrical based chakra and not knowing any other way, or if it would even work, he plunged the charging hand into his own visceral chest.

"Not in here..." The last thing Neji saw as they were thrown from Naruto's mind was Sasuke's look of shock.

As Sasuke gained his real world orientation, he became aware of the chaos in the room. Neji was on the floor and Sasuke couldn't tell if he was alive or dead. Tsunade was on top of Naruto, who also lay unmoving.

Sasuke rushed to Naruto's side. "Naruto," he cried.

Tsunade shoved him out of the way. "Sakura, I'll take care of these two. Get him out of here."

"Where?"

"Take him home for now."

Sakura transported herself and Sasuke to his home and led him to a chair. He didn't let go of her hands as she stood.

"It's all falling apart," he said in shaky voice. "I don't know how to fix it. I just keep making everything worse."

"Don't worry." She squatted in front of him. "I'll fix it.

"Will you?" In his state, he was willing to grasp at anything. "Will you, please?"

She patted his hand. "Just sit here and I'll get some tea. Then we'll see what can be done."

He slumped back into the cushions, as she went to his kitchen.

Several minutes later, Sasuke felt a hot drink being pressed into his hands. "Here, drink this. It will all be better soon."

The next thing Sasuke knew, he was lying on his bed and the room was spinning. Every time he opened his eyes, the room morphed and changed and strange sounds swirled around him.

But it was okay because Naruto was here. His beloved blond was kneeling on the bed next to him. And he was smiling, and stroking his hair. Sasuke tried to reach out to him.

"No, don't move. I'll take care of everything." Naruto crawled over him, and he realized they were both naked, although there was something off about Naruto's appearance. Sasuke decided it didn't matter as long as he was here, smiling at him and touching him, like things used to be.

"I want to show you something." Sasuke thought he nodded in agreement and tried to reach out again, but his limbs were uncooperative.

Then he closed his eyes as he felt his beloved slide down over his erection.

"Love..." Whether it was an endearment or a declaration, he forgot as heat and friction and closeness with his dearest person overtook his thoughts.

It felt so good. Very good, but…different. Then again, he felt different. And when he gripped the hips riding him and he felt more flesh than he was used to, a nagging feeling tugged at him. He tried to see Naruto clearly even though his features, indeed the whole room kept shifting.

"I love you, Sasuke." Naruto's face was close and he was panting. "We need to be together forever. I can give you everything you've ever wanted."

That was all Sasuke had ever wanted to hear. Naruto's promises were enough to push him over the edge. He squeezed his eyes shut and pulsed his seed into his lover's body, crying out, "Love...you..."

"Sasuke." The voice trying to penetrate his fog was familiar, but...his eyes flew open.

Sakura! The instant pounding of his heart pumped fresh blood through his body and his mind cleared enough to take in the situation.

He was on his back in his and Naruto's bed. Sakura sat astride him, holding his softening length in her body. Bile rose in his throat and panic tried to take hold.

"Sakura..." He couldn't articulate a single question to help make sense of something that was incomprehensible.

"It was wonderful, wasn't it?" He just stared at her in shock, his heartbeat thundering in his ears.

She pressed a hand to her lower abdomen. "And now we'll be a family. I'll give you all the love in my heart and the children to rebuild your clan."

He closed his eyes and his sole goal was to keep from vomiting. Then she started to pull away. He grabbed her and pulled her to him, his first and only instinct to keep her from escaping.

She laughed gently. "Don't worry, my love. I was just going to get a cloth to clean us up. Then we can talk."

Talk. Yes. Then he could make sense of this nightmare. A couple of minutes during which his heart beat enough to fill a century, later, she curled up at his side and sighed contentedly.

"The plan to get rid of Naruto didn't work out the way I'd hoped." She traced patterns on his chest and he wondered if she could feel his heart rate double. "But I wasn't completely comfortable with his actual death it to begin with. He is the best chance for keeping the village safe for our babies."

"Naruto..."

"He really does love you. Of course, who doesn't?" She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. "Because of that, he'll see reason and be happy for us."

She pulled his hand to her belly. "He couldn't give you this anyway and was being selfish to keep it from you."

Sasuke pictured his life in ashes and couldn't help it; he rolled over and threw up over the side of the bed.

"Oh, sweetheart. I worried I didn't get the dosages right." She rubbed his back as he shuddered and panted weakly.

"You...drugged me."

She laughed. "Yeah. Funny, I should have just done that from the beginning. I wondered, if you ever had a woman..."

The pieces were coming together in his head. Sakura had been the one attacking Naruto's mind, and when that didn't work, she opted to seduce...rape...Sasuke.

"He was never your friend? You never forgave him, never loved him?" Sasuke rasped.

"Keep your enemies closer." She winked at him and grinned.

He closed his eyes. She was deranged. And he'd just possibly impregnated her.

He took a steadying breath and wiped his mouth with the corner of the sheet. Then he rolled back and pulled her into a firm embrace. After several steadying moments he spoke calmly.

"We should tell everyone the news."

She wriggled into a sitting position and her eyes were alight with excitement.

"Really?"

"Of course. I can hardly imagine Tsunade's reaction. She loves you."

"What about Naruto," she asked, frowning.

"He needs to know more than anyone. We'll tell them together." Sasuke just prayed to all his gods that there would be some way to salvage his life after the truth came out.

Twenty minutes later, Sasuke and Sakura appeared in Naruto's room. He was instantly relieved to see Neji sitting up in a chair while Tsunade hovered over Naruto, who still appeared unconscious. He stood behind Sakura and wrapped his arms around her, as much to hold himself up as to keep her from getting away when the truth came out.

He looked at Neji. "Are you okay?"

Neji didn't answer, just took in the sight of Sakura wrapped in his arms.

"I'm sorry," he continued, "and need our friendship now more than ever."

Neji's face was inscrutable.

"Tsunade-sama?" Sasuke started.

"You little fucking shit. What the hell did you think you were doing? Are you trying to kill him?"

Sasuke swayed and leaned more heavily on Sakura.

"Leave him alone. Even he knows we'd be better off if the idiot was gone." Sakura moved to wrap her arms around Sasuke.

Tsunade turned to the two wrapped around each other and went completely still. The tension in the room became thick as cement and Neji rose.

Sasuke decided to get right to the point.

"We have news. Sakura and I have...been together." He hoped he'd get to finish before Neji killed him. He spoke carefully.

"She thought our first time would be easier for me if I thought she was Naruto."

Sakura waived her hand. "He'd never been with a woman, you see? He had no idea what he was missing." She smiled and hugged him. When he swayed again, she frowned. "I overestimated his weight, I guess." She patted his cheek. "You'll be fine soon, my love."

Tsunade moved a glowing hand around his body. "Sedative. Hallucinogen."

Sakura took Sasuke's hand and pressed it to her abdomen again. "And now we're going to have a family."

Tsunade gasped and Neji moved into a position off to the side.

"Sakura, what have you done?"

"Given him everything that fucking demon," she pointed to Naruto's still form, "was trying to steal from him. From the whole village. From the world."

"She hoped to," Sasuke picked his words to encourage Sakura to talk, to confess, "get Naruto to step away on his own."

"You were with him several times a week," Tsunade said, her eyes wide.

"Be glad," Sakura snorted. "I've exposed him for the pathetic ninja he really is. I’ve had him living a genjutsu life for months now."

She sneered at the blond in the bed. "He's nothing but a weapon of mass destruction. He doesn't have any finesse or skills like Sasuke." She kissed his hand and looked up at him with worship in her eyes. "He should be the next Hokage."

Sakura sighed dreamily. "I'll be married to the Hokage and our children..."

Tsunade's glowing hand shot out again in Sakura's direction. After a couple of seconds, she stepped back, her face thunderous. "There is no child."

"What?" Sakura stumbled as Sasuke slumped further onto her.

"You're not pregnant."

"But..." she sputtered. "I thought..." She straightened. "No matter. We'll just keep trying, won't we, my darling?"

Sasuke looked to Neji, who nodded, and before Sakura could even comprehend his intention, he'd immobilized her with several taps to key pressure points around her neck.

"Sasuke, help me." As she slid to the floor, her body no longer able to support her, Sasuke nearly fell on top of her. Tsunade grabbed him and he fell into her arms, barely clinging to consciousness.

"Don't tell him. Please," he whispered.

"God damn it, this is a clusterfuck." She eased him into a chair. "Neji, are you well enough to take her in hand?"

He looked reluctant to leave, but nodded and a second later, he and Sakura were gone.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just an epilogue after this.

"Haruno Sakura," the Godaime spoke clearly in spite of the tears streaming down her face. "You have been judged to be a danger to your fellow ninja, to Konoha and to yourself."

Sakura stood on a wood platform, her arms anchored to two long chains extending from near her feet. She shivered so hard that her teeth were chattering.

"It is therefore our decision that you be put to death."

Her whimpering could not be heard over the wrenching sobs coming from Naruto. The blond was on his knees, his forehead pressed against the wall. Sasuke had his arms around him from behind, holding him tightly.

"Do you have any last words before sentence is carried out?"

"S…S…Sasuke…" was all Sakura said. Naruto dropped his face in his hands and sobbed even harder.

Sasuke couldn't bear this. He now truly realized just how far he had come, how much he had grown under Naruto's kind, loving, examples of tolerance and forgiveness. Just as he loved Itachi, his own flesh and blood, despite anything his brother may or may not have done, Naruto still loved Sakura, his adopted sister, no matter what she had done.

He stepped between the Hokage and Sakura and dropped to his knees. "Mercy. Please have mercy on her."

Sakura dropped to her knees as well. With the slack now in the chains, she was able to reach out to Sasuke.

"You do love me. I knew you loved me."

Sasuke was overcome with sadness, for Naruto, for Tsunade, for Sakura, for himself. He turned and pulled the konoichi into his arms and stroked her head. He bowed his head toward the Hokage.

"Please. I don't think he can live with this." They both looked at Naruto who was on his knees, his forehead now on the floor. His whole body was shaking with his sobs.

"Bring him here."

Sasuke muttered soothing words to Sakura, then pulled away and went to Naruto.

"Naruto," he whispered as he wrapped his arms around the blond and pulled him upright.

"Sasuke, please help me. This hurts too much. I can't…," he sobbed.

"I know," Sasuke murmured. "Come with me." He pulled his friend up and over to the platform.

"Naruto, you and Sasuke are the victims here. What would you have me do?"

Hope bloomed in Naruto's face and she continued, "Would you see her spend her remaining years in Konoha prison?" His face fell again. "Or the psych ward of Konoha General?"

She touched his hair. "Aren't you angry?"

Naruto grasped her robes. "No. Don't you see? I love him, too. I'd die for him. I'd kill for him. Should I be where she is because I'm the same danger?"

"Naruto, it's not the same…"

"Please don't do this," he whispered. "I can't live with it." The earnestness in his face told her that consequences would be dire if this proceeded. This village would lose him, somehow, some way, if this execution continued.

"Then I ask you again, what would you have me do?"

Naruto looked at Sasuke for several long moments. Sasuke just nodded; anything Naruto wanted had his full support.

Naruto turned back to the Godaime. "Give her what she wanted all along."

+++

Sasuke and Tsunade stood at the end of the hall and watched Naruto. He stood looking through the window of the room in which Sakura sat smiling and making small motions with her hands.

"So the council's okay with his request for Sakura?" Sasuke asked.

She hesitated. "What they don't know won't hurt them."

He raised a brow in surprise.

"I'm more concerned about whether you're okay with it," she continued. "I would think this would impact you more than anyone. They're your clones maintaining the genjutsu. And it's a life with you she's living."

"Since this is maintained by meditating sage clones, I'm not really even a part of it."

He looked sideways at her. "I can't promise that I won't need them back at some point…"

She shrugged. "We'll cross that bridge if and when we ever come to it."

There were several moments of silence as they watched Naruto wipe tears from his cheek.

"I'm proud of you," she said quietly.

Sasuke felt a burning behind his eyes. He tried to remember if an adult had ever told him that they were proud of him.

"He's teaching me to be a better man…," was all he could manage before he had to clench his teeth in a fight against the lump in his throat.

Tsunade put her arm around his shoulder and pressed her lips to his cheek, holding it there a moment.

"I'm so glad you came home." She squeezed his shoulder once more and then walked down the hall and around the corner.

+++

Sasuke and Naruto worked hard to restore what they had.

After the last of Sakura's additions had been removed, there was still a fair amount of doubt caused by real-time ruminations. But they made a pact with each other to bring everything into the open and not let anything fester in unspoken uncertainty.

Sasuke had thought he'd been unguarded and honest before, but had to learn a whole new level of openness. For example, he hadn't realized what silence meant in a healthy relationship. And what it meant in a relationship in jeopardy.

It didn't take long to notice that Naruto would often surreptitiously study him with anxious looks on his face when they were just sitting in silence. One morning during breakfast, Sasuke felt Naruto's unease and finally looked up.

"What's wrong?"

Naruto hesitated for several long moments than finally winced and said, "Are you mad at me?"

Sasuke blinked in surprise. "No. Why do you think that?"

Naruto just shrugged. "Can I ask…that is…"

"What?'

"What are you thinking about?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Nothing."

Naruto ducked his head and went back to fretting in silence. It occurred to Sasuke that he hadn't been truly honest with Naruto and that Naruto knew it. There was no such thing as thinking 'nothing." Nothing of consequence maybe, but never just nothing.

So he thought back. What had he been thinking about as he stared only half awake at his plate?

"I was actually thinking about that annoying drip from the faucet over there. I'm going to have to go to town for the supplies to fix it."

Naruto stared at him for a few seconds, then smiled. "I was actually thinking about that last night when we went to bed. I can hear it from the bedroom and it was driving me crazy."

"Naruto, you can ask me that anytime you want and I promise never to say 'nothing' again."

"Is it okay? Really? I don't want to be a pain."

"Really. I can't promise it won't be the most boring thing you've ever heard, or how often it will be some version of one of us screwing the other's brains out, but I have no problem with you asking."

It didn't take too long, however before Naruto no longer felt the need to ask and once again begin to take joy in comfortable shared silences.

Their sex life also needed tending. Sakura had planted a lot of doubts about their most intimate times together, and Naruto had fretted and fretted about what Sasuke liked and what repulsed him.

Nothing actually repulsed Sasuke and he'd had to keep a constant stream of dialog going, even cocooning them in chakra laced with his deepest emotions when they were together. Many times, Sasuke would go so far as to have their intercourse take place inside his mind, just so Naruto could feel what Sasuke was feeling.

Other parts of the recovery were also difficult. The artificial criticisms of his behavior around his comrades had also stewed in Naruto's mind during the 'real' times and had become infused with actual memories. These counterfeit visions had combined with the actual mistreatment he'd always received and were proving difficult to overcome.

But Sasuke knew who cared for Naruto and who didn't. There were many in Konoha who truly cared for and respected his lover. So he bullied Naruto into social situations.

Naruto found himself sitting amongst his peers like a statue, no idea how to act, afraid to move or speak or eat. Finally when nervous tension would be on the verge of nervous breakdown, he would bolt.

Neji had followed Sasuke out the door the last time Naruto had rushed out of the restaurant looking on the verge of being sick and grabbed Sasuke by the arm.

"A word, Uchiha. Do you need me for anything tonight?" Neji asked.

Sasuke looked at him in confusion.

"I'll be leaving in the morning and will be gone for three weeks."

"Neji." Sasuke frowned. "Please promise you'll be careful. Naruto and I, both, would be devastated if anything happened to you."

"All will be well. I may not have the levels of power that Naruto has, but I do have some of my own advantages."

Sasuke studied his brilliant friend and nodded. "Yes, you do." He smiled. "Come see us when you return."

Neji bowed and then looked down the road where Naruto had fled. "And good luck to you. I wish you both happy and long lives together."

Then he bowed his head again and poofed away.

+++

Three weeks later, Sasuke hadn't given up. His living room was full of most of the rookie nine and even Kakashi and Iruka had shown up.

Neji was also in attendance, having just returned from his first mission as Naruto's replacement.

He was different, Sasuke realized. It came to Sasuke that the brunette had gotten laid. And he'd liked it. Sasuke smirked as he watched Neji casting appraising glances in Sai's direction.

So the food was ready and the guests were mingling and chatting. The trouble was that Naruto was nowhere on the premises.

Pulling on every reserve of patience he'd ever had, he went to the place he suspected he'd find the missing blond; the training grounds.

Twenty minutes later, he was stomping through their kitchen dragging Naruto across the room by his ear.

"Hey bastard, that hurts. Wouldja let go, for fuck's sake?"

Sasuke didn't reply, just kept pulling until they got to within a foot of the door leading to the living room. He was stopped short when Naruto absolutely refused to budge another inch, earlobe or no.

"Sasuke, please," the blond whispered. He swallowed loudly and then swallowed again. "Don't do this to me."

"Do you really never want to see these people again?" Sasuke let go of Naruto's earlobe and moved his hand to the orange covered waist.

"Well, no, but..." He hunched his shoulders and dropped his head. "I don't know how to act."

"Naruto, do you care about the people in the next room?"

"You know I do."

"Then show them."

"But…how?"

"Listen."

"Listen?"

"Yes. Ask them questions about things that matter, or don't matter, and then listen to what they have to say. And then share some of Naruto with them. I promise they'll love him. They already do." He pulled Naruto into a hug. "You can do this. You've known these people all your life."

"Stay with me? Please?"

Sasuke carded his fingers through the blond spikes. "Always."

Naruto crouched on a piece of carpet by the chair in which Sasuke sat and leaned against his leg.

For some time, he just listened to the conversation around him. He found that after a short while, he was laughing along with everyone else at whatever piece of wit was flying about.

There was a short lull and he felt Sasuke nudge him. His heart was pounding and he knew his face was red, but he cleared his throat.

"So, I, uhm, missed the Jounin exams this past summer. Did I miss anything good?" He felt Sasuke squeeze his shoulder in approval.

He couldn't have picked a better question. After being razzed for a good twenty minutes about the fact that he was still technically a Genin, the raucous descriptions of the exam had everyone in stitches.

Naruto listened as friendly insults were tossed around and stories of might and wit were weaved by each Jounin. By the time the whole thing started to die down, Naruto knew that a stranger would have assumed the examinees fell into one of two categories; brainless amoeba or god.

"So, Naruto," Neji began. "Tell us one of your adventures of daring and danger."

Naruto was silent for several moments, concentrating on the feel of Sasuke's fingers brushing the back of his neck in silent support.

"You'll laugh."

"Undoubtedly," Neji offered a rare smirk.

"Bastard," the blond laughed.

"Well, there was this one time," he began, looking at his hands in his lap. "A couple of years ago Jiraiya and I were in Water Country. It was our first night there and the perv was three sheets to the wind as usual. Since I was only about a sheet and a half, I was in charge."

Quiet laughter filled the room as Naruto went back in time.

"If he'd bothered to stop by the Mizukage's office, he'd've known, or could have guessed that we were probably walking into the location of the Ju Hachi Bandits. He _might_ have decided that it would be a good idea to lay off the sake for one night." He shrugged. "Maybe."

"You saw the Ju Hachi Bandits?"

"Aren't they gone?"

"It was about three a.m. and I was dragging his sloshed ass back to the inn, when eighteen masked ninja dropped to the ground in front of us. I was scared shitless. I knew there was no way I could take all of them, and Jiraiya couldn't take a piss by himself at this point."

"What did you do?"

"How did you get away?"

"I was trying to keep him from face planting, and that's when I saw it and got an idea. He was wobbling but still standing, so I thought that if the Ju Hachi were as stupid as the other gangs of bandits we'd met, there might be a chance."

He absently played with the hem of Sasuke's pant leg and realized that he wasn't really nervous anymore.

"So I stood as tall as I could while trying to keep the pervert on his feet and tried to sound important." He pointed his finger, imitating the act from long ago and started in a higher, pubescent voice, "Stand aside. You are in the presence of the President and Secretary of the Association for Homicidal Lunatics."

Gusts of laughter flowed over Naruto and he felt Sasuke lean forward. "The idiots actually started fidgeting and then one finally said, 'Ain't never heard of 'em.'"

Naruto pointed his finger again. "'Yes, that's right. The Association for Homicidal Lunatics, or as we like to call ourselves, the Assss...Ho..hooo..les.'" The blond slapped himself in the forehead as the laughter swelled in the room. "Man, I was wishing the Genin curriculum included acronym training."

Ino and Kiba had tears rolling down their faces and were holding their sides.

"This skinny guy leaned over and said, 'Hey boss, I think I heard of 'em. Remember when that guy asked us if we were a bunch of assholes? Maybe he thought we were some of these here association fellas.'

"Then I reached for the thing I'd seen in Jiraiya's pocket." His impersonation of his fourteen year old self began again. "'Yes, we are the Association for Homicidal Lunatics, and you should consider joining us. Here is a recruiting manual. Read it and get back to us.' I handed him Icha Icha Volume 39, Issue 4, the one with the big-boobed redheaded chick chained to a rock wall on the cover, and then got the hell out of there."

"You're making this up."

Kakashi had been riveted, but now he threw his arm in the air.

"No! It's true." He reached inside his jacket and fished around for several moments. Finally he withdrew a rumpled looking sheaf and after giving it a brief hug, unrolled it and showed it to the crowd.

It was none other than Icha Icha Volume 39, Issue 4 and there on the cover was the redhead in question, complete with ball gag, handcuffs and more leather than a Nuke-nin convention. "My favorite issue. I always wondered why it was dedicated to the Ju Hachi."

By now even Sasuke was laughing out loud.

"And you were saved?"

"No." He wrapped his arm around Sasuke's calf. "Stupid pervert was furious that I gave away his Icha Icha. Said it was an unreleased manuscript or some shit and insisted I go _rescue_ it."

"What?"

"You've got to be joking!"

"Yeah, I had to go rescue a piece of pornography. Ended up finding the hideout and with Kyuubi as backup, got the piece of trash back. And you're right," he looked at Shikamaru, "they are gone. Seems Kyuubi isn't fond of bondage, go figure, and was pretty pissed about having to rescue something touting the wonders of it. Nothing left but some fingernails and a few teeth."

"But I got even," Naruto continued with a wicked gleam in his eye. "I'd been with the old perv long enough to know mornings-after didn't agree with him. I laid the rag under his head and, just like clockwork; he woke with the sun and heaved two gallons of sake and a half-pound of sushi all over the thing. He ended up having to rewrite it anyway."

Sasuke heard the story and watched as Naruto's comrades laughed. But he heard the story and it broke his heart. As funny as the younger teen tried to make the story, it was still a tale of a lonely child, forced to call on a demon to save his own life against eighteen grown adult ninja.

But now, his blond was at his side, listening contentedly to other grand adventures until the early hours. As he watched the relaxed laughter and Naruto's latent skill at bringing others into a conversation, making sure the attention was shared equally, all he could think was that life wouldn't be worth living if he couldn't spend it with his best friend and lover.

Finally the party broke up and he and Naruto walked everyone to the door.

Ino became one of his favorite people when she came up to Naruto and grasped his hand. "Thank you for sharing your stories with us, Naruto." Then she leaned up, placed a quick kiss on his cheek and darted out the door. Naruto reached up and touched his cheek, looking stunned.

Sasuke hid a laugh as Neji gave a quick, distracted bow and slid out the door, his hands in his pockets. "Sai, a moment of your time?"

Finally after lots of handshaking and hugging, everyone was gone and Naruto leaned against the door in exhaustion.

"Hey, bastard." The blond's voice was gentle, beckoning.

Sasuke leaned into him and smoothed back his hair. "Yeah?"

"Thank you."

Sasuke smiled and kissed the corner of the warm mouth. "You're welcome, although I didn't do anything. You were wonderful." He brushed his lips against the other corner. "You do know that I love you and I will..."

Naruto interrupted, "until the day I die."

Sasuke shook his head. "No. I will love you till the day _I_ die."

+++

Sasuke floated on a sea of sensation. He'd already finished as Naruto had made sure Sasuke found pleasure before seeking his own.

He so loved this. He loved when he wasn't so lost in bliss that he missed the building of Naruto's climax. He loved the languorous feelings swimming through him as he got to feel Naruto move inside him, shifting and shuddering. He got to bask in the sounds of Naruto's growls and groans. He got to feel gripping fingers and flexing muscles. He got to feel his heart swell as he watched the ecstasy Naruto was taking from his body.

"I want a child." Sasuke wasn't sure why it came out now.

Naruto stilled and his face closed off. He started to pull away.

"No. No, I mean I want us to have a child. You and me." He speared fingers into Naruto's hair. His voice dropped. "I want _us_ to have _your_ child."

He waited for Naruto to argue or balk. Instead he felt Naruto swell inside him.

"Really?" Joy filled him when Naruto didn't start throwing out excuses about them being two males or lying with women, trying to wring reassurances from him. It was a testament to the fact that the damage Sakura had inflicted was behind them. It told Sasuke that Naruto felt secure about Sasuke's love for him and believed they had a future together.

"When you become Hokage, I'll take a job that will give me enough time to be home with children. I could probably coordinate much of your personal guard from here." He waited for any insecurity to rear its ugly head as denials and arguments. None came and warmth filled him to realize that they'd come far enough to eschew all pretense and share their most honest feelings with each other.

No one knew Naruto as he did.

"Or if you want to raise children in a civilian village, we can move."

"No. I could never leave these people. I don't know if I believe in destiny, but if I have one, it's here."

"I'm not sure these people deserve you, but we'll live where you want."

Naruto smiled. "Have I told you recently that I love you?"

"No, it's been five minutes and I'm bereft."

Naruto dropped his lips to Sasuke's. "I love you."

He started moving again and Sasuke had mixed feelings to find that he was ready again and Naruto was burning his world away.


	29. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so, our journey is over. Thank you all for reading and especially those who dropped me a line. If you haven't already, consider giving Constellations a shot.

"Tsunade-same has announced that she wishes to retire and has recommended that Uzumaki Naruto replace her as Hokage."

Sasuke and Naruto just stood calmly before the council. Tsunade sat off to the side on the couch, her legs crossed, one swinging lazily over the other.

"It has come to our attention, however, that there is a second sage in Konoha and we want to explore all of our options."

"I don't want the job," Sasuke interrupted, cutting right to the heart of things.

"Don't be silly. Everyone wants the job."

"Silly? An Uchiha?" The tomoes in Sasuke's eyes spun lazily.

"Oh, yes, well…" the councilor stumbled. "Our apologies, Uchiha-san. We just wonder if you fully understand…" At Sasuke's raised eyebrow he faltered. Then he gathered himself and continued.

"You are as aware as anyone of the burden Uzumaki Naruto carries…"

"I carry a larger burden," Sasuke interrupted again.

At their blank looks he continued. "My burden is that I don't care about you or this village.

The two councilors looked completely affronted and their mouths opened and closed. He continued.

"Naruto would die to protect this village. I will only protect him and anything we build together."

"Uchiha-san…"

"Honestly, councilor," Sasuke interrupted once more. "I wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire."

There was a suspicious cough from the couch, but Sasuke wasn't finished.

"In any event, I'll be too busy for such a job. I plan to spend most of my time raising his child." He thumbed in Naruto's direction.

Sasuke relished the silence as he watched the red-faced councilors try to compute something that, for them, didn't compute.

"H…his child?"

Sasuke nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Due in…Tsunade-sama?"

"About ten weeks." She was inspecting her nails, the picture of unconcern.

Sasuke was enjoying this more and more, wondering if he would actually get to see their heads explode.

"Tsunade! Naruto's child? But the demon…

"Is as much a part of his DNA as those tattoos on his arm." She leaned forward. "This child will be Yondaime's heir."

"Minato?" The woman asked reverently, tears forming. "Our dear Minato? And his beloved, beautiful Kushina?"

Tsunade nodded with feeling.

There were several minutes of silence as all parties digested and regrouped. The male councilor obviously decided one last stab was in order.

'Uzumaki! You have nothing to say about any of this?"

"Oh, well, not yet. I thought it would be good practice. When Uchiha-san is captain of my personal guard, I plan to have him handle all my light work."

The council looked apoplectic once again.

"I would, however, like to ask that you consider what type of retirement you would like," Naruto said. "Here in Konoha, or perhaps abroad?"

"Young man, you have absolutely no authority to replace us."

"I am aware of that," Naruto responded. "And you are welcome to stay. But," his chakra filled the room until they were tugging on their collars, "I promise," he paused to make sure he had their attention, "you will HATE being my councilors."

Ten minutes later the meeting was over. Sasuke and Naruto leaned against the door jamb and listened as the councilors walked down the hall.

"You have to give the boy credit; when he's right, he's right. I already hate being his councilor and he hasn't even taken office yet."

The other sighed. "My daughter's been bugging me to plant this new variety of rutabaga she's developed."

"I hate rutabaga."

"Me, too, but I don't have the heart to tell her."

"So," the other sighed. "Rutabagas?"

"Yes, I suppose," one final sigh.

Tsunade put her arm around Naruto's shoulder and pointed at Sasuke. "I love that boy." She ruffled two heads of hair and followed the councilors down the hall.

Naruto looked at Sasuke. "Me, too." He stepped closer. "You are so fucking hot when you're crushing old people's dreams and ambitions under your heel."

"Hot enough to let me bend you over the Hokage's desk and…"

"That's still my office…" The two laughed as they heard Tsunade yell from the other end of the hall. " _And_ my desk."

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.


End file.
